Starting in August, Avianca plans to start operating new direct routes between the Salvadoran capital and the cities of Boston and Orlando.
The airline reported that both flights will have four frequencies per week and will depart from Monsenor Óscar Arnulfo Romero and Galdámez International Airport. The flight to Orlando will be inaugurated on August 1 and the route to Boston will begin on August 17.
An announced has been made of a definitive deprogramming of the weekly flight that operated between Buenos Aires and Caracas, citing operational reasons.
Already in August the airline operating under the Argentine flag had announced the suspension of the tickets sales for this flight.Now the company has announced the deprogramming of its weekly flight in definitive form.
The strike organized by the colombian operations´pilots has forced the airline to suspend the sale of tickets for flights between Bogota and Guatemala City until October 5.
Prensalibre.com reports that "...For the rest of the destinations operating from Guatemala, passengers will be able to purchase tickets without any problems, as these flights are not affected by the strike reported Avianca's North American, Central American & Caribbean Regional Communications department."
In five years the airline market in Central America has transformed from being a market dominated by two major airlines, to one with new entrants, lower prices and greater connectivity.
The arrival of so called "low cost" airlines to the region has resulted in a progressive reduction in the prices of tickets to fly between Central American countries. Between 2011 and 2014 the average cost without taxes for travelling between Costa Rica and El Salvador ranged from between $400 and $500, while in 2015 it costs $391.
With the entry of two competitors focusing on the business of low-cost fares, the airline market in Central America is preparing for a potential price war.
Panama has become the starting point for tourists looking to travel to the rest of Central America, where new airlines want to capitalize on a market which so far has been driven Copa Airlines and Avianca.
The new airline route now includes a stopover in San Salvador.
Starting January 16th the airline will be rearranging its operations from San Jose, Costa Rica to Miami, Florida with flights from Monday to Sunday with stops in San Salvador, El Salvador.
From a press release by Avianca:
In order to optimize its global route network, ensuring connectivity for its passengers to various parts of the Americas and Europe and ensuring business sustainability, Avianca has taken the decision to suspend the operation of its direct route San Jose - Miami - San Jose, and offers two choices daily for passengers flying through the Connections Center in El Salvador.
The airlines announced the signing of the agreement which will contribute to increased flight options for passengers in the Southern Cone.
In the first quarter of next year, Sky Airlines will sign a similar agreement with the airline Avianca, indicated Fabio Villegas, CEO of Avianca, Taca, Stuart Ortiz, COO of Avianca-Taca and Jürgen Paulmann, CEO of Sky Airlines, in a press conference.
The airline will inaugurate a new direct connection from El Salvador and add more scheduled flights from Costa Rica and Lima.
As of August 6, Taca Airlines will operate a direct flight between Havana and El Salvador, three times a week, using a 120-passenger A319 aircraft.
Danilo Correa, the AviancaTaca Regional Sales Director for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, said: "This new flight will strengthen tourism and trade relations between the two countries and allows connection options for other major markets in the region. It therefore meets the needs of our customers. In this context we are pleased to offer this new flight. "
The airlines will unify their frequent flyer programs into a single program called “LifeMiles."
Fabio Villegas, president of the company, announced that effective March 1st, the Taca Distancia program and Avianca´s AviancaPlus, will be unified as LifeMiles.
The executive said this is an important step in the process of integrating the two airlines "which currently operate as one company".
The Civil Aviation Authority approved 17 new international air routes, many to Central America and the Caribbean.
These include Avianca’s requests to fly to Tegucigalpa, San Salvador, Montreal, Frankfurt, Toronto, Guatemala, Madrid, and La Habana. Most of these will depart from Bogotá and make a stop in Panama with 2, 3 or 7 weekly frequencies respectively.
Shareholders from both companies have merged their stock in a new corporation called “AVIANCA-TACA Limited”.
This is the first step towards building and strengthening one of the largest air route networks in Latin America.
Grupo TACA has contributed its flagship airline TACA Airlines, plus its participation in LACSA, TACA PERÚ, AVIATECA, SANSA, LA COSTEÑA, AEROPERLAS and ISLEÑA.
The airlines Taca and Avianca have broadened their operations agreement with a shared code, in effect since June 13, that will facilitate flights to several continental destinations.
According to a press release issued by the two airlines, the plan will facilitate the flights of more than 50,000 passengers with destinations in Central America, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia.