Moderators: jsumali2, richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
2travel2know2 wrote:So this is the year CM makes it into PBM?
Wagers?
I wish CM would look at GCM too.
danipawa wrote:Sky High Aviation is adding Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, starting Feb 7 and Medellin and Barranquilla, Colombia starting March1 and 5 with ERJ145 service !, Plans to add Ponce, San Juan and many more destinations from SDQ this 2019
http://dominicanavuela.com/2019/01/12/s ... wKGIEz--r4
guyanam wrote:CMs GEO works heavily because of the Cuban market as well as travel from non gateway US cities, and even from NYC when the fares are competitive.
guyanam wrote:I ran a bogus CM booking MIA-PTY-GEO and noticed GEO arrival/departure is early afternoon.Not sure why anyone would use CM for MIA GEO given the alternatives are abundant. I can see JFK as the nonstop isnt always available, or can get quite expensive.
United787 wrote:How is the newly reopened SXM terminal going?
windian425 wrote:This is the second year/season that VS is operating a 2x Weekly LHR service to BGI. Seams to be doing well enough on a seasonal basis.
guyanam wrote:Not sure why anyone would use CM for MIA GEO given the alternatives are abundant. I can see JFK as the nonstop isnt always available, or can get quite expensive.
LimaFoxTango wrote:guyanam wrote:Not sure why anyone would use CM for MIA GEO given the alternatives are abundant. I can see JFK as the nonstop isnt always available, or can get quite expensive.
Apart from AA's recent MIA-GEO flight, I think the only nonstop option was Surinam Airways. So, it was either a stop in POS on BW or PTY on CM. Given CM's comfort and all around good service, I'm sure people wouldn't mind using them for the right price.
gunnerman wrote:What plane change? PY422 is MIA-GEO-PBM.
windian425 wrote:It has the range to fly PBM-MIA non-stop if for some reason there's a market demand to avoid AUA stop.PY uses a B737-700 to MIA.
gunnerman wrote:If AA takes a big chunk out of PY's MIA-GEO business, then it's hard to see how PY can sustain its MIA routes. PY has MIA-GEO-PBM 4x weekly and MIA-AUA-PBM 2x weekly, but MIA-AUA cannot come to the rescue as it is up against AA's 21x weekly and AG's 7x weekly.
On another subject, I'm wondering if B6 will finally launch JFK-GEO.
Brickell305 wrote:gunnerman wrote:What plane change? PY422 is MIA-GEO-PBM.
I think the plane change he's referring to is traveling on CM vs BW, PY or AA. GEO-MIA is an interesting route. It went from being arguably under-served to arguably over-served in a rather short space of time. I wonder how sustainable PY's flight will continue to be now that it competes directly with AA which has the stronger brand awareness in the So. Fla region and the megahub in Miami with connections to other parts of the US and other Caribbean destinations (KIN, NAS, GCM, HAV etc.). BW should be fine as it's essentially a flight to/from POS with an extra leg with most of the MIA passengers originating/terminating in POS. CM has its vast Latam network and the Star Alliance connection to help it with the growing IAH market. I don't really see a long term role for PY unless the ability to backfill passengers from PBM is enough to keep the flight successful.
BigMac wrote:Don't the Guyanese "love" their free bag?
PY offers a free 1st checked bag + a "real" hot meal (don't know how long either will last though).
AA's GEO-MIA is a red-eye flight (after midnight).
I have a feeling that CM might start PTY-PBM very soon since PBM is cheaper (for Cuban) shoppers compared to GEO.
8W (Fly Always) flies a 738 (registration OM-KEX) PBM-CUR-SDQ-HAV-SCU so they must be doing something right (although the fares are sky high).
BigMac wrote:AA's GEO-MIA is a red-eye flight (after midnight).
guyanam wrote:PBM isn't sufficient to allow PY to run a nonstop to MIA, so if they lose on the GEO then they might have problems.
AA is a strong brand and with tremendous feed at MIA. I anticipate that they will be up to daily before year end, at least at peak periods. Even NYC will feed into this route, at least until B6 enters. The latter are in the process of submitting paperwork to the GCAA and given that GEO is eager to get major brands I anticipate that this will be approved as quickly as the current quagmire in Guyana governance will allow.
Not sure what PYs long term plans are, because at one time they involved setting up GEO as a major focus point with nonstops to NYC and YY, in addition to MIA.
guyanam wrote:BigMac wrote:Don't the Guyanese "love" their free bag?
PY offers a free 1st checked bag + a "real" hot meal (don't know how long either will last though).
AA's GEO-MIA is a red-eye flight (after midnight).
I have a feeling that CM might start PTY-PBM very soon since PBM is cheaper (for Cuban) shoppers compared to GEO.
8W (Fly Always) flies a 738 (registration OM-KEX) PBM-CUR-SDQ-HAV-SCU so they must be doing something right (although the fares are sky high).
The free bag is true on the NYC more than on the FL flights. The latter are more upscale with many business passengers.
It will be interesting to see where the competition is as each airline most likely has its own group. It might well be that PY holds its own by catering to the O&D SoFL Guyanese expats who will prefer their flight times. The redeye flight back to MIA might be hard for some, and for those staying in hotels in SoFL the early arrival opens up its own challenges.
AA definitely takes the connecting traffic thru MIA, much of it probably now on BW.
Cubans select based on visa requirements. Guyana requires none and Suriname upon arrival. Whether that represents an issue of significance to Cubans is an interesting question. As to which country is cheaper, well it depends on which Chinese merchants are cheaper as well as hotel and other arrangements. The Cubans buy mainly from Chinese merchants. Transport costs to town from PBM vs. GEO will also be a factor. Cubans can only use travel agents in Cuba as their internet connectivity is poor.
gunnerman wrote:BigMac wrote:AA's GEO-MIA is a red-eye flight (after midnight).
And for MIA-GEO: AA's flights arrive at 0003 and PY's Wednesday flights depart at 0015 and arrive at 0545. None of these are tourist-friendly but I'd much rather have this instead of good schedules with bad airlines. Let's be honest: Guyana is a small destination, and AA sees a good opportunity to squeeze more out of its aircraft and crew without facing a barrage of criticism over its unfriendly schedule. (It's the same crew which operates both the outbound and inbound flights after 1h 2m on the ground at GEO.)
BigMac wrote:guyanam wrote:PBM isn't sufficient to allow PY to run a nonstop to MIA, so if they lose on the GEO then they might have problems.
AA is a strong brand and with tremendous feed at MIA. I anticipate that they will be up to daily before year end, at least at peak periods. Even NYC will feed into this route, at least until B6 enters. The latter are in the process of submitting paperwork to the GCAA and given that GEO is eager to get major brands I anticipate that this will be approved as quickly as the current quagmire in Guyana governance will allow.
Not sure what PYs long term plans are, because at one time they involved setting up GEO as a major focus point with nonstops to NYC and YY, in addition to MIA.guyanam wrote:BigMac wrote:Don't the Guyanese "love" their free bag?
PY offers a free 1st checked bag + a "real" hot meal (don't know how long either will last though).
AA's GEO-MIA is a red-eye flight (after midnight).
I have a feeling that CM might start PTY-PBM very soon since PBM is cheaper (for Cuban) shoppers compared to GEO.
8W (Fly Always) flies a 738 (registration OM-KEX) PBM-CUR-SDQ-HAV-SCU so they must be doing something right (although the fares are sky high).
The free bag is true on the NYC more than on the FL flights. The latter are more upscale with many business passengers.
It will be interesting to see where the competition is as each airline most likely has its own group. It might well be that PY holds its own by catering to the O&D SoFL Guyanese expats who will prefer their flight times. The redeye flight back to MIA might be hard for some, and for those staying in hotels in SoFL the early arrival opens up its own challenges.
AA definitely takes the connecting traffic thru MIA, much of it probably now on BW.
Cubans select based on visa requirements. Guyana requires none and Suriname upon arrival. Whether that represents an issue of significance to Cubans is an interesting question. As to which country is cheaper, well it depends on which Chinese merchants are cheaper as well as hotel and other arrangements. The Cubans buy mainly from Chinese merchants. Transport costs to town from PBM vs. GEO will also be a factor. Cubans can only use travel agents in Cuba as their internet connectivity is poor.gunnerman wrote:BigMac wrote:AA's GEO-MIA is a red-eye flight (after midnight).
And for MIA-GEO: AA's flights arrive at 0003 and PY's Wednesday flights depart at 0015 and arrive at 0545. None of these are tourist-friendly but I'd much rather have this instead of good schedules with bad airlines. Let's be honest: Guyana is a small destination, and AA sees a good opportunity to squeeze more out of its aircraft and crew without facing a barrage of criticism over its unfriendly schedule. (It's the same crew which operates both the outbound and inbound flights after 1h 2m on the ground at GEO.)
The GEO market sure is getting crowded all of a sudden...
PBM isn't sufficient but that's why they have BEL/GEO to make it work.
Cubans do need to pay $40 for a "Visa On Arrival" into PBM (though a quick process by just paying the fee) which is kind of steep for Cubans I guess.
AA is definitely a strong brand (but I would consider BW a strong brand as well)
AA should definitely consider reworking their schedule assuming more than 50% of PAX stay in South Florida.
And the free 1st bag, doesn't AA offer it for some countries in Latin America?
It definitely adds up (round trip/more than 1 pax per group).
Oh and c'mon who travels to/from the US with just hand luggage (unless your stay is only a day or two)?
BW's schedule to JFK is also great (timing wise) add in the free 1st bag as well and the free meal and it's a win as well.
Isn't BW in the process of adding some kind of inflight media streaming service as well (as well as renewing their fleet)?
PY's regular GEO-MIA schedule is in the afternoon and MIA-GEO in the early evening (perfect timing).
At the moment they only have 1 737-700 operational (the second one is getting certified) which explains their 0545 arrival time Wednesday (should only be temporary).
leleko747 wrote:Is American planning to use their 787-8 on Caribbean routes? Saw a pic of it in Cancun. I wonder if they might deploy it to places like Punta Cana, Santo Domingo, Barbados, St Maarten, etc.
A388 wrote:There has been times AA flies wide-body from its Deep South America routes that remain on MIA tarmac daytime to short Caribbean Central American if needed.leleko747 wrote:Is American planning to use their 787-8 on Caribbean routes? Saw a pic of it in Cancun. I wonder if they might deploy it to places like Punta Cana, Santo Domingo, Barbados, St Maarten, etc.
Highly unlikely in my opinion. It won't serve its purpose to fly such short flights to the Caribbean. It can be better used elsewhere in AA's network. For this reason I don't them using the 787 to CUN permanently either.
A388
2travel2know2 wrote:A388 wrote:There has been times AA flies wide-body from its Deep South America routes that remain on MIA tarmac daytime to short Caribbean Central American if needed.leleko747 wrote:Is American planning to use their 787-8 on Caribbean routes? Saw a pic of it in Cancun. I wonder if they might deploy it to places like Punta Cana, Santo Domingo, Barbados, St Maarten, etc.
Highly unlikely in my opinion. It won't serve its purpose to fly such short flights to the Caribbean. It can be better used elsewhere in AA's network. For this reason I don't them using the 787 to CUN permanently either.
A388
I'm surprised AA wouldn't use wide body MIA-POS-MIA on day-time rotations before/after Carnival on Trinidad.
Ghim-Lay Yeo @ghimlay
[email protected] will add Paramaribo (Suriname) to its network from 6 July, with twice weekly service. The city will be the airline's 81st destination
Kilgen wrote:Waiting for CM official press release.CM just announced PTY-PBM. Via Twitter:Ghim-Lay Yeo @ghimlay
[email protected] will add Paramaribo (Suriname) to its network from 6 July, with twice weekly service. The city will be the airline's 81st destination
https://twitter.com/ghimlay/status/1085924763795636224
2travel2know2 wrote:Kilgen wrote:Waiting for CM official press release.CM just announced PTY-PBM. Via Twitter:Ghim-Lay Yeo @ghimlay
[email protected] will add Paramaribo (Suriname) to its network from 6 July, with twice weekly service. The city will be the airline's 81st destination
https://twitter.com/ghimlay/status/1085924763795636224
However, that twitt comes from a person seemingly well informed on aviation matters.
gunnerman wrote:Almost all aircraft used from north America to the Caribbean are narrow-bodies. The only exceptions that I know of are:
1. The 763 operating AA1321 MIA-CUN up to 2 May 2019 after which it reverts to a 738
2. The 763 operating AA1570 MIA-SJU
Incidentally, there is LA593 operated with a 789 scheduled for tomorrow (18 January) MIA-CUN-SCL, good for plane spotters.
2travel2know2 wrote:Kilgen wrote:Waiting for CM official press release.CM just announced PTY-PBM. Via Twitter:Ghim-Lay Yeo @ghimlay
[email protected] will add Paramaribo (Suriname) to its network from 6 July, with twice weekly service. The city will be the airline's 81st destination
https://twitter.com/ghimlay/status/1085924763795636224
However, that twitt comes from a person seemingly well informed on aviation matters.
BigMac wrote:Something on CM Twitter would do.2travel2know2 wrote:Kilgen wrote:Waiting for CM official press release.
However, that twitt comes from a person seemingly well informed on aviation matters.
The flight can already be booked (though starting July 10th)...
How much more official do you want it to be?
2travel2know2 wrote:BigMac wrote:Something on CM Twitter would do.2travel2know2 wrote:Waiting for CM official press release.
However, that twitt comes from a person seemingly well informed on aviation matters.
The flight can already be booked (though starting July 10th)...
How much more official do you want it to be?
gunnerman wrote:From 6 July to be exact.