maclover

According to some news, AZ is willing to re-launch its long haul service to Los Angeles and a new one to Montreal

News to follow

maclover

paffendorf

I Have some doubts about LAX. Ok, YUL could be right, since it's doable with 767 and after dropping IAD, AZ could add this (even if they should start the 767 fleet refurbishment, AZ announced).
About the MXP/FCO --> LAX i would like to know which aircraftS AZ thinks to use.... i think it would be "odd" to use a 767 on this route...

Moreover, Italy-> LAX is too long to be operated by only 1 aircraft. In order to optimize the turnarounds, AZ should use 2 aircrafts on a mixed routing between italy and US West coast + Middle East..

Now....
this is the AZ longhaul network (october 06)

772 - New York JFK from MXP
772 - New York JFK from FCO
772 - New York EWR from MXP
767 - New York EWR from FCO
767 - Miami from MXP
767 - Washington from MXP
767 - Chicago from MXP
767 - Boston from MXP
767 - Boston from MXP
767 - Toronto from MXP
767 - Toronto from FCO
767 - Shanghai from MXP
772 - Tokyo NRT from MXP
772 - Tokyo NRT from FCO
772 - Osaka from MXP
767 - Dubai from MXP [6xW]
767 - New Delhi from MXP
772 - New Delhi from MXP
767 - Bombay from MXP
772 - Buenos Aires from MXP
772 - Buenos Aires from FCO
772 - San Paulo from MXP
767 - Caracas from FCO
767 - Caracas from MXP
767 - Lagos from MXP
767 - Accra from MXP
320 - Dakar from MXP

Please, consider that some double routes [CCS and EZE in example] are not 2 daily services, it's only 1 operated from FCO or MXP, depending on the day.

Now... AZ has 10 772ERs... i don't know how AZ uses these aircrafts on the routes, but we have to suppose they are correctly used to maximize their flying time.

Which route does AZ think to downgrade and/or cut??!?!??
I wouldn't consider to cut EZE-GRU (especially now that Varig has gone), neither Japan...
Does AZ want to cut or downgrade JFK/ EWR?! I don't think LAX could be more profitable than NY!
The only other possibility is DEL: let's suppose AZ downgrades New Delhi service (btw, it's only a 3xW, not daily) or rearranges schedule to Delhi in order to mix it to LAX service (not sure this is doable since Delhi is quite far).... where does AZ think to find the second 777 to generate the double-mixed routing MIL-LAX-MIL-DEL-MIL?!

I'm just curious.... please if some of you have an idea, don't hesitate to post it here
luke

maclover

Rumors are saying AZ to receive 4 new 777 form Boeing....

Will keep you updated as soon as I get more infos!
BTW it seems that the route will originate in FCO rather in MXP

MACH81

Rumors from?

4 new 777s would be a very good thing for AZ!

psyflyer

Thanks. AZ remains a sorry excuse of an airline. An airline that italians (not american-italians, canadian-italians or any other faction that thinks/claims to be italian simply by being related to an italian) like me are ashamed of, have always been ashamed of, and will most likely always be ashamed of. Most of us await patiently untill our government will let it go under once and for all and stop throwing our tax moeny at this ponzi scheme.

Ma te possino ammazza'

MACH81

I disagree.AZ might not be a good airline, but it is not the worst either.If AZ goes under, I see AF/KL and LH taking over; reduced competition will result in higher prices for trips ex-Italy.

paffendorf

We're all italians then.
Dear Mach81, you know i don't love AZ (it could be this is related to 18 bags lost!!!), but i have to say that there are few airlines worse than AZ (in the west europe, the only one is IB)... i know that if AZ went under, we will lose an important industrial sector, but if you remember some pdf i donwloaded from your laptop, there's a graphic showing all the state-aids given to AZ.... it's disappointing.

I have to say i agree with psyflyer about present and future, but we cannot forget that AZ several years ago (before Nordio) was a great airline, with a great product and a great service... our governments forgot to remember that time has changed and noone among them did anything to change the AZ's way of doing business.

@Maclover: i heard that rumor too, but i'm not confident. The "congislio di stato" has recently ordered a new bid for "volare" (http://www.ansa.it/infrastrutturetra...34067289.html).

Moreover, some other news are here and i'm really concerned about that.
"the more we fly, more we lose money" by G. Cimoli.
http://www.ansa.it/infrastrutturetra...634069929.html

In this context, i have a lot of doubts about new longhaul aircrafts.
And don't forget, there are more than 80 MD-80s very old and 13 767s (57% of the longhaul fleet)... so they should consider a replacement before an increasing.

My 0,02$.
Cheers
luke

MACH81

I got back about an hour ago from AZ's office in NY (LCA trip );I asked about a possible return to LAX, and I was told that it won't happen.IAD just ended and for west coast flights they are fine with DL codeshares.But with AZ, you never know what's next!

MAH4546

Montreal makes sense. Los Angeles? I'll believe it when I see it, and if they launch it, it would be from Milan, not Rome.

One thing that is happening: Miami becomes a 777-200ER year-round from 1 November on.

paffendorf

That's usual... during northern winter season, MIA is upgraded to 777 and EWR is downgraded to 767.

iseo

Well I travelled the MXP LAX route often til they dropped it around 2001.
They used MD11s
It and the San Francisco routes were always full but only flew from MXP.
I know that part of the AZ restructing plan is to bring back at least the LAX MXP route.....if they survive that long...