SOUTHAMERICA From Colombia, joined Dec 2003, 2496 posts, RR: 15 Reply 1, posted (5 years 6 months 2 weeks 9 hours ago) and read 1855 times:
After around 7 years, it's great to see AV back in SJO. The market and Avianca's economics have both changed and matured a lot since then, and will certainly make this route work.
4x weekly is a good start. Hopefully for next year's summer season it will be daily.
San Jose is Avianca's 21st international destination.
LTU932 From Germany, joined Jan 2006, 13864 posts, RR: 51 Reply 2, posted (5 years 6 months 2 weeks 8 hours ago) and read 1822 times:
So MM finally makes a comeback to SJO. But I have a question: didn't they already announce that MM would start up service to SJO again? If yes, wasn't it out of MDE, or was the plan to return from BOG on behalf of AV all along?
Turk223 From Barbados, joined Aug 2003, 369 posts, RR: 1 Reply 3, posted (5 years 6 months 2 weeks 8 hours ago) and read 1814 times:
This is great news! Now we can hope that the trend continues - maybe SAL, GUA, MGA could be in the future? Has AV ever served those three cities before?
I think SDQ or SJU may be good Caribbean choices... I guess we'll have to wait and see! (and wait for more planes!)
EddieDude From Mexico, joined Nov 2003, 7177 posts, RR: 45 Reply 5, posted (5 years 6 months 2 weeks 8 hours ago) and read 1802 times:
Very good news Juan. I am glad AV and MM are adding new destinations (or reinstating them, if you will). AV has the potential to serve every major city in the Latin American region, so this is a great step. I can't wait for their A32xs, A332s and 787s!
SOUTHAMERICA From Colombia, joined Dec 2003, 2496 posts, RR: 15 Reply 7, posted (5 years 6 months 2 weeks 7 hours ago) and read 1768 times:
Quoting Turk223 (Reply 3): maybe SAL, GUA, MGA could be in the future? Has AV ever served those three cities before?
SAM served Managua and San Salvador during the 70s when the airline decided to expand its Central American operations. These services didn't last very long.
More recently, SAM did serve GUA, SJO and PTY regularly on the RJ-100 era during the early and mid-90s.
Quoting LTU932 (Reply 6): Isn't Colombia-GUA a bit too long for a BAe146?
But he's right though, SAM did serve BOG-GUA for some time in the mid-90s with the RJ-100. I'm not sure if there's a market for such a flight nowadays.
Hagic From Canada, joined Jan 2006, 159 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (5 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 hours ago) and read 1689 times:
Finally!!
It's now about time to see AV put some competition against CM for the Central American market and start developing a competitive hub at BOG with the current and, hopefully some new, spokes to South America, the US and Europe.
CM fares are so much overrated that I support ANY initiative for competition. BOG 's potential as main connecting hub is definitely greater than the PTY 's only terminal with the bunch of overpriced electronic stores, and with just one (1) tiny coffee shop and one (1) hot-dog stand for all the passengers in transit.
There's only one freedom of the press: That of the survivors - (G. Arciniegas)
RCS763AV From Colombia, joined Jun 2004, 4283 posts, RR: 13 Reply 10, posted (5 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 hours ago) and read 1680 times:
Very nice. It was just a matter of time before AV re-started SJO. The route will probably go daily in June 2008, then, it could be upgraded to an A319. We would have three daily BOG-SJO rotations at that point.
I hope BOG can get the work on the new facilities done fast enough to cope with the expansion.
SJOtoLIR From Costa Rica, joined Jul 2007, 4087 posts, RR: 5 Reply 11, posted (5 years 6 months 1 week 6 days 3 hours ago) and read 1569 times:
Quoting Summa767 (Thread starter): AV had expressed it wanted to expand in Central America and the Caribbean. Currently it codeshares with Lacsa to SJO
There are likely good loads for TA BOG-SJO, due they are utilizing the 321 in such daily route.
The understanding between TA-AV also includes connections to GUA and SAL.
.
Quoting SOUTHAMERICA (Reply 7): SAM served Managua and San Salvador during the 70s when the airline decided to expand its Central American operations. These services didn't last very long.
More recently, SAM did serve GUA, SJO and PTY regularly on the RJ-100 era during the early and mid-90s.
If I remember correctly:
MM served SJO during the Lockheed Electra era.
By the 80s, a common service was BOG-ADZ-SJO-GUA and vice versa with Boeing 727-100 equipment.
Alliances and code-shares were inventions from the 90s. Nonetheless, Lacsa tied up an agreement with Varig, Ecuatoriana and [Avianca / SAM] for operations to some South American destinations around 1989.
I think MM operated TGU for a little while.
Flights will be operated with Fokker 100s by AVs subsidiary SAM.
MM again? Is the mainline AV fleet spread so thin that they can't send an M83 our way, or are they just testing the waters for now? How about eventually considering an additional 3x MDE-SJO as well?
Quoting Turk223 (Reply 3): Now we can hope that the trend continues - maybe SAL, GUA, MGA could be in the future?
I dunno about that, given that none of our neighboring countries (except their former runaway departamento next door to us) have such a large Colombian community (not to mention bilateral trade) as we do here in Costa Rica.
EddieDude From Mexico, joined Nov 2003, 7177 posts, RR: 45 Reply 14, posted (5 years 6 months 1 week 6 days 1 hour ago) and read 1519 times:
Quoting XA744 (Reply 8): Monterrey is already a major LatAm business center, and traffic from this city to South America has been growing substantially in the recent years.
I hope there has been some thought about this at headquarters in Bogotá.
At this rate, if the folks at MX or AM do not realize this, it will be AV, CM or TA who will eventually test the waters. Heck, it might even be one of the Mexican LCC's... I would not be surprised to see the tandem of Volaris and TA exploring this possibility.
I hope the new directors of AM will figure this out first!
777jaah From Colombia, joined Jan 2006, 1401 posts, RR: 2 Reply 15, posted (5 years 6 months 1 week 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 1477 times:
Quoting Viaggiare (Reply 13): have such a large Colombian community (not to mention bilateral trade) as we do here in Costa Rica.
That's a pretty big market for the route itself. Costa Rica is home for thousands of Colombians nowdays. I bet AV will suceed in the route, and will upgrade as soon as the new fleet arrives.
Quoting Hagic (Reply 9): (1) hot-dog stand for all the passengers in transit.
I know, I was stuck in PTY last year for almost 3 hours and there were little if none, options in the food department. I think they can invest a bit in this and improve this area.
Juan, out of topic, any news on when the Airbii will strart arriving??
Cheers
JAAH
Next flights: AV BOG-ADZ-BOG, AV-UA BOG-IAD-ORD-IAD-BOG, BOG-FLL-BOG, LA BOG-MIA-BOG J
Summa767 From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2004, 2387 posts, RR: 7 Reply 16, posted (5 years 6 months 1 week 5 days 9 hours ago) and read 1367 times:
Quoting Viaggiare (Reply 13): MM again? Is the mainline AV fleet spread so thin that they can't send an M83 our way, or are they just testing the waters for now? How about eventually considering an additional 3x MDE-SJO as well?
The MD83 fleet is indeed stretched, but it is also true that AV would want to start with a lower capacity to start with, as routes can take a while to mature. I don't think that AV thinks in terms of "mainline" and "subsidiary", but rather what is the most appropriate aircraft to cover a route. MM already operates both GYE flights, VLN and some of the ones to AUA and CUR.
Quoting Viaggiare (Reply 13): Quoting Turk223 (Reply 3):
Now we can hope that the trend continues - maybe SAL, GUA, MGA could be in the future?
I dunno about that, given that none of our neighboring countries (except their former runaway departamento next door to us) have such a large Colombian community (not to mention bilateral trade) as we do here in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is definitely of utmost importance as you say, but there are some very positive things happening on the trade front between Colombia and the "triangle of northern central America", namely: Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. There was a free trade agreement signed between this trio and Colombia just 3 months ago. So business ties will surely increase. Avianca has already established their ambition to serve more of central America. I would expect GUA and SAL at least, but not until the A319s arrive, that would be an appropriate airplane for this destinations, a bit too far for the F100s.
Talking of A319s..
Quoting 777jaah (Reply 15): any news on when the Airbii will strart arriving??
Not updated info, only that the first 2 A319s should be delivered Feb and April.
MSN : 3408 (A319)
Start of assembly : 19.12.07
First Flight : 29.01.08
Delivery : 21.02.08
MSN : 3467 (A319)
Start of assembly : 05.03.08
First Flight : 08.04.08
Delivery : 17.04.08
On the first A330:
MSN : 948 (A330)
Start of assembly: 15.05.08
First Flight: 22.07.08
Delivery: 02.09.08
There are also the 3 A320s leased from CIT, but I hve no news as to when these would arrive. I would expect that this would be early on as to join the first 2 A319s. So I can only guess that there was an initial operational overhaul around May, with a "reshuffle" in aircraft used on some routes, and probably some new destinations.
Avianca From Venezuela, joined Jan 2005, 5857 posts, RR: 40 Reply 17, posted (5 years 6 months 1 week 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 1331 times:
very nice news! well I was aware that AV will restart the route but not so quick... had the information that they will do a come-back in SJO with the A319 starting October 2008... but hey great to see AV (MM) earlier back in SJO.
I
Summa767 From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2004, 2387 posts, RR: 7 Reply 19, posted (5 years 6 months 1 week 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 1312 times:
Quoting SOUTHAMERICA (Reply 18): Plenty of "this would be a good A319 route" lately, and not many A319s were ordered. I expect they plan very well how to use them
Very true! We have mentioned IAD, GUA, SAL, MCO and maybe even CLO and MDE to JFK in the wish list, as well as SCL (probably daily) that AV specifically mentioned when presenting the order.
I expect that we'll see very little of the A319 for domestic routes, where the F50, F100s will do thinner routes, and the A320 the ones currently operated by the MD83s.
I guess we won't be seeing the back of the 757s very soon either, and so there should be time for the deliveries of the exercised A319s options.
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