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Old Oct 29, 2007, 11:35 am
  #1  
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US seeks BOG-CLT service

US Airways said today it would apply for daily service between its hub in Charlotte, N.C., and Bogota, Colombia when the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) begins selecting carriers for 21 new flights to the South American nation.


http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/071029/lam107.html?.v=86

Sorry about the link but my browser is acting up.
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Old Oct 29, 2007, 11:43 am
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Hmm...I sure hope it's a 757 or 767 route cuz the A319 would be just plain hell...
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Old Oct 29, 2007, 12:00 pm
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Thumbs up

Though not perfect, CLT doesn't tend to have the same drama as PHL.

That being said, I think this is a very good move on the part of US and that CLT-S. America routes could perform very well:

1. CLT's international ops have much more capacity than they currently handle

2. The *A is starving for more S. America routes due to Varig's demise (AC is the only current *A carrier servicing BOG). I think *A passengers from Europe could do very well with this flight with good connections from MUC, LGW, and FRA. I bet LH would want to codeshare.

3. AA's MIA operations are, well, rather dismal and they have a practical monopoly on many flights to S America. This would be a welcomed alternative.

I thought that when RG disappeared it was a given that US would push for more S America flights - give its strong southern hub, solid Caribbean network etc.... I'm glad that it's finally happening.
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Old Oct 29, 2007, 12:29 pm
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Originally Posted by usa18dca
Hmm...I sure hope it's a 757 or 767 route cuz the A319 would be just plain hell...
It will probably be a CRJ-900 operated by Mesa!

All kidding aside, why not a more touristy location in Colombia such as Cartagena?

I still do not think US operates its current domestic or international routes well enough to merit another international route.

What a minute--are they going to count Colombia as an international destination?
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Old Oct 29, 2007, 12:30 pm
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Originally Posted by me4yankees

What a minute--are they going to count Colombia as an international destination?
Good question. My guess is yes. It's ex-North America.
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Old Oct 29, 2007, 12:35 pm
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DL, NK & B6 has already applies for Columbia service. Why next with US wants applies for BOG? I think US will put on equipment is A319. I don't think CRJ900 cannot be reachable into BOG without payload restrictions. I don't think be concerned from US will try approval from DOT. Isn't US will became first-ever nonstop into South America?
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Old Oct 29, 2007, 12:35 pm
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Originally Posted by Jumpgate
Good question. My guess is yes. It's ex-North America.
I forget...where is the cutoff for "North America not international" and the rest of the Americas/international? Where do Costa Rica and Belize fall, according to US? (I cannot say how much their definition of " international" bothers me as a language teacher...!)
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Old Oct 29, 2007, 12:48 pm
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Latin America is considered part of North America. Therefore, flights to Belize and Costa Rica aren't eligible for *A Gold lounge access.

From the web site:

Also, if you present your Chairman's Preferred membership card and same-day International tickets, you can access over 600 Star Alliance lounges (including US Airways Clubs) around the world. Travel within North America and the Caribbean is excluded.
I wouldn't put it past US to redefine the continental map and try to tell people that Colombia is in North America, but they've already ruined that opportunity by disclosing in this press release that Colombia actually is, in fact, in South America.

They could always revise the club policy.
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Old Oct 29, 2007, 12:52 pm
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Anyone have any luck finding this application? I'd like to read it. All my searches on dms.dot.gov haven't yielded it yet.
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Old Oct 29, 2007, 12:55 pm
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I know how the lounge access rules read and how they are so WRONG.

Not to get too nit-picky here, but Belize (English, 1st language) and Costa Rica are Central America, not North America. Latin America usually refers to the Americas in which a Romance language (Spanish, Portuguese, French, etc.) is a first language.
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Old Oct 29, 2007, 2:06 pm
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Originally Posted by Jumpgate
Latin America is considered part of North America. Therefore, flights to Belize and Costa Rica aren't eligible for *A Gold lounge access.

From the web site:



I wouldn't put it past US to redefine the continental map and try to tell people that Colombia is in North America, but they've already ruined that opportunity by disclosing in this press release that Colombia actually is, in fact, in South America.

They could always revise the club policy.
The flip side of this is that elite upgrades are in play, no?
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Old Oct 29, 2007, 2:10 pm
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Most current travel warnings to Colombia: http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/c...tw/tw_941.html

June 04, 2007
This Travel Warning updates ongoing security concerns in Colombia and reminds American citizens of those concerns. This supersedes the Travel Warning issued January 18, 2006.

The Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the dangers of travel to Colombia. Violence by narcoterrorist groups and other criminals continues to affect all parts of the country, urban and rural.

Violence has continued to decrease markedly in most urban areas, including Bogot, Medellin, Barranquilla, and Cartagena. The level of violence in Cali, Buenaventura, and the surrounding areas remains high, largely as a result of the illicit drug trade. Many rural areas of Colombia remain extremely dangerous due to the presence of narcoterrorists and Colombian government operations against them.

Terrorist groups such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN), and other criminal organizations, continue to kidnap civilians for ransom or as political bargaining chips. No one can be considered immune from kidnapping on the basis of occupation, nationality, or other factors. The FARC have held three American official contractors hostage since February 2003. Although the U.S. government places the highest priority on the safe recovery of kidnapped Americans, it is U.S. policy not to make concessions to or strike deals with kidnappers. Consequently, the U.S. governments ability to assist kidnapping victims is limited.

U.S. government officials and their families in Colombia are permitted to travel to major cities in the country, but only by air. They are not allowed to use inter- or intra-city bus transportation. They also are not permitted to travel by road outside of urban areas at night. All Americans in Colombia are urged to follow these precautions.

As the Department develops information on potential security threats to U.S. citizens overseas, it shares credible threats through its Consular Information Program documents, available on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov. U.S. citizens should consult warden messages for Colombia at http://bogota.usembassy.gov/wwwsc093.shtml, as well as the Department of States Consular Information Sheet for Colombia and Worldwide Caution Public Announcement at http://travel.state.gov. U.S. travelers can also get up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 in the U.S. or Canada or on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.
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Old Oct 29, 2007, 2:31 pm
  #13  
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I can see this being a heavy business route as opposed to leisure.

Colombia has become increasingly safe, mainly in the cities (particularly Bogota). More and more people I know are include Bogota in S. American travel plans. That being said, I'm pretty sure this will still be a mainly business-traveler market.

Therefore, I'm going to venture to speculate that upgrades on this route will be lumped into the same categories as upgrades to Europe and Hawaii.
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Old Oct 29, 2007, 2:37 pm
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I assumed that as well, but US Airways is an LCC! Business travelers like LCC?

I just think that the less savvy traveler may not be aware of the risks and may see this as an extension of the current tourist destinations in Central America and the Caribbean.
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Old Oct 29, 2007, 4:24 pm
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Originally Posted by me4yankees
I assumed that as well, but US Airways is an LCC! Business travelers like LCC?

I just think that the less savvy traveler may not be aware of the risks and may see this as an extension of the current tourist destinations in Central America and the Caribbean.
1: Lots of businesspeople fly US on a regular basis. US is a network carrier with international reach and membership in the Star Alliance.

2: Highly doubtful. There's likely an undersupply of capacity to this market from the USA given the slot controls, so US probably wants a share of that traffic. Given that it's a smaller carrier with limited reach outside of the US, it's probably going to go to the head of its class with its bid, as letting US in would increase competition.
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