Finnair extends Miami route to summer season

Starting from April 2016, Finnair will extend its Miami service to be year-round, and will operate to Miami with three weekly frequencies in summer 2016.

"We are excited about extending our Miami route to cover the whole season," says Juha Järvinen, Chief Commercial Officer, Finnair.

"The Miami route has proven to be popular both for our Northern European customers as well as for Miami based customers, for whom we offer excellent connections to Scandinavia via Helsinki. The new schedule will also enable excellent connections from Miami to our Asian destinations. Our oneworld partner, American Airlines, has a large hub in Miami, which enables good connections further to the Caribbean, Central and South America."

Finnair also adds frequencies to its Chicago service, increasing the weekly flights from three in summer 2015 to five in summer 2016. This will further improve connectivity beyond Chicago to American Airlines' extensive network in the Americas. This five-weekly service connects well also to Finnair’s Asian network beyond Helsinki.

Both destinations are served with Finnair Airbus A330 aircraft. The flights to Miami International Airport are operated on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays, and the flights to Chicago O'Hare are operated from Helsinki on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Finnair’s Chicago and Miami services are included in the joint business on transatlantic traffic with fellow oneworld alliance partners British Airways, Iberia, American Airlines and American’s merger partner US Airways. Miami and Chicago are hubs for American, which allows Finnair’s customers quick codeshare connections to destinations throughout the United States, including San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Miami and Chicago timetables connect well with passengers transferring to and from Finnair destinations in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and the Baltics, including Stockholm, Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, St Petersburg, Moscow and Warsaw as well as with Finnair's Asian destinations, including Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Seoul, Chongqing, Xi’an, Beijing, Shanghai, Delhi and Bangkok.

In addition to Miami and Chicago, Finnair operates daily to New York JFK and, together with its joint business partners, offers over 120 daily departures over the Atlantic.

The joint business between the cooperating airlines also gives customers the possibility to mix and match flights on different carriers and connecting cities for the best pricing and scheduling.

SAS expands with new direct routes to USA

SAS is expanding and opening three new direct routes to USA in 2016. The new routes being launched are Los Angeles from Stockholm, Miami from Oslo and Miami from Copenhagen. SAS is also increasing the number of departures from Stockholm to New York and Chicago and between Copenhagen and Shanghai. That means that SAS will now offer over 330,000 additional seats on its intercontinental routes in 2016.

SAS is investing in the future and strengthening its offer to Scandinavia’s frequent flyers. In line with already published plans to expand its long haul fleet, SAS is today announcing three new direct routes; Los Angeles from Stockholm, Miami from Oslo and Miami from Copenhagen.

“We know that our frequent flyers want flexible travel with a good timetable and daily departures. These new direct routes together with the renewal of our long haul fleet and our broad network, mean we have far and away the strongest offer between Scandinavia and the USA. We are looking forward to offering our customers new travel opportunities and giving them a warm welcome onboard our aircraft,” says Rickard Gustafson, President and CEO of SAS.

Los Angeles is a popular destination for Scandinavian travelers wishing to visit Southern California or onwards to destinations such as Hawaii. The first flight to Los Angeles will leave on 14 March and SAS will have daily departures from Stockholm to Los Angeles throughout the summer season and five-six departures a week in the winter season.

Miami is an attractive destination for Scandinavian travelers, especially in the winter months. Miami is also a large hub for traffic to Caribbean and Latin America. Furthermore Miami is also the number one cruise liner port in the world and an important trade center. The first flights to Miami are expected to lift off in fall 2016 and the Miami route will have a daily departure from Scandinavia.

Costa Crociere takes off with Alitalia

Costa Crociere, an ambassador of Italian style and excellence in the world for 67 years, and Alitalia, the main Italian airline, have signed a three-year agreement thanks to which Costa cruise passengers departing from Italy can use Alitalia scheduled and charter flights to reach the ports of embarkation for Costa cruises around the world.

The agreement, presented today at EXPO Milano 2015, envisages a total of around 100,000 airline seats on Alitalia flights, made available to Costa Cruises in the period 2015-2018. It represents further growth for the Italian market of the “fly + cruise” formula, which Costa Crociere was the first to offer to the world back in 1968.

“There is a well-established relationship in place with Alitalia, which takes on significant value for our guests who are looking for Italian style at all times during their travel experience,” Neil Palomba, President of Costa Crociere, reminds us. “This new agreement underlines our focus on customer service, characterised by the offer of solutions with increased comfort, but also - concludes Palomba - the ability to innovate and to create a system of two Italian companies which represent an essential engine for the growth of tourism in Italy.”

Ariodante Valeri, Chief Commercial Officer of Alitalia, stated: “What we are presenting today with Costa Crociere is an agreement of great value between two companies at the forefront of Italian tourism around the world. In order to give new impetus to tourism, in an increasingly competitive global market, now more than ever, we need to create a system – institutions, large enterprises, trade and services – and the agreement between Alitalia and Costa Crociere is heading in this direction.

Alitalia flights for Costa Crociere will link a total of 27 Italian airports to the following destinations: the Caribbean and the United States, with the airports in Pointe a Pitre (Guadeloupe) and Miami; the United Arab Emirates; Northern Europe with Warnemunde-Rostock, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Stockholm; Trieste for one-week cruises in the eastern Mediterranean.

The agreement between Alitalia and Costa Crociere also envisages significant benefits in terms of schedules, flexibility and above all quality and comfort, the aim being to minimise the time spent managing embarkation and disembarkation procedures and to use all the time available for enjoying the cruise holiday.

Starting from the exclusive “through check-in” service, available at all Italian airports with Alitalia only, on both charter and scheduled flights: Costa cruise passengers will receive boarding passes for all flights through to their final destination, and will also be able to drop off their luggage at the departure airport and have it conveniently brought to their cabin on board the ship.

At Warnemunde-Rostock airport, an even more innovative, top quality service will be available for the return home: on the evening before disembarkation, cruise passengers will be able to drop off their luggage and get their boarding passes for the return flight while still on board the ship.

Emirates to serve Panama City from Dubai

Emirates Airline has announced its plans to launch services to Panama City, beginning 1st February, 2016. The new service will be the longest non-stop flight in the world (17 hours 35 minutes in the Westbound direction) and will be Emirates’ first gateway destination in Central America.

Service to Panama City, Panama’s capital and largest city by population, will commence with a daily flight operated by a Boeing 777-200LR aircraft in a 3-class layout -  8 in First, 42 in Business, and 216 in Economy. The aircraft can carry up to 15 tonnes of cargo. Key imports to the country include pharmaceuticals, machinery products, iron/steel rods, and electronics. Service to Panama City will operate through Tocumen International Airport (PTY).

Both a vibrant metropolis and gateway to tropical destinations, Panama City is also the economic and financial centre of the country with the major industries being international banking, commerce, and tourism. Ideally located between North and South America, as well as the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Panama City has developed an unrivalled transportation and communication network. It operates two of the busiest ports in Latin America, including the Colon Free Trade Zone - the world's second largest free trade zone. Additionally, the ongoing expansion of the Panama Canal has helped contribute to Panama’s economic growth in recent years.

“Panama City will be our first destination gateway in Central America, providing a convenient option for our passengers travelling from or through our global hub in Dubai and onward to destinations throughout Central America, the Caribbean and the northern part of South America,” said His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline & Group. “We’re also pleased to be the only commercial airline to offer a daily, First Class service to travellers on what will be the world’s longest non-stop flight.”

"It is gratifying to see how diplomatic efforts focused on generating development and prosperity for Panama materialise," said Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado, Vice President of the Republic of Panama.  “New doors to the country will open with a direct connection to the Middle East - a strong and thriving region with great synergies to both Panama and Latin America.”

“This new direct flight between Dubai and Panama City will connect Latin America with the Middle East, Asia and Africa,” explained Eduardo Fonseca Ward, Consul General of the Republic of Panama, in Dubai. “This link will generate a broader global network with countless commercial and cultural opportunities for the two regions. It has been a pleasure to work with the Emirates team, who have shared the vision of Panama and Dubai as hubs of trade, prosperity and hope.”

Later this year, Emirates will be adding 4 additional routes to its global network including Mashhad, Iran and Orlando in September; Bamako, Mali in October; and Bologna in November.

Norwegian to launch flights from the U.S. to the Caribbean

Norwegian has announced it will launch flights from Boston, Baltimore/Washington, D.C. and New York City to two Caribbean destinations: the Guadeloupe Islands and Martinique.

Only two years after launching service to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Norwegian will be the largest foreign airline at JFK in terms of number of routes. Norwegian will offer a total of seven nonstop routes to Bergen, Copenhagen, Guadeloupe, London, Martinique, Oslo and Stockholm. Overall, Norwegian will operate 31 routes from 10 U.S. airports.

With the new service, Norwegian will offer U.S.-based customers some of the lowest fares to the Caribbean, with an introductory fare starting at $79 one way, valid from all three U.S. airports and starting at $99 one way from Guadeloupe and Martinique in the French Caribbean, also known as the French West Indies.

Norwegian’s new seasonal service to the French West Indies will launch on December 3, 2015, with three flights per week from JFK to the Guadeloupe Islands’ Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport (PTP) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and from JFK to Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport (FDF) on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

From Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Norwegian will operate twice weekly service to both Guadeloupe and Martinique. Flights between Baltimore-Washington and Guadeloupe will operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and Martinique on Mondays and Fridays. From Boston flights to Guadeloupe will operate on Thursdays and Sundays, and to Martinique on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Norwegian operates one of the world’s most modern and eco-friendly fleets. On the U.S.-Caribbean routes, the airline will fly its new Boeing 737-800s with 186 comfortable, leather seats and it will be the first airline to offer free Wi-Fi on flights to the Caribbean. Norwegian will also offer customers the option to rent movies and TV shows on their personal devices.

The airline currently offers 25 nonstop routes from the U.S. to London and Scandinavia, providing more European routes than any other European airline. Service from Las Vegas will commence on October 31, 2015; service from San Juan, Puerto Rico, will commence on November 1, 2015; and service from St. Croix, U.S. V.I., will commence on November 5, 2015.

“With these new and exciting routes, Norwegian will offer customers in the Northeast nonstop flights to two of the most idyllic islands in the Caribbean,” said Norwegian’s CEO Bjørn Kjos. “Norwegian is fully committed to the U.S. market and we will continue to expand by offering more great nonstop destinations to American travelers and growing our U.S. crew bases,” said Kjos.

To celebrate Norwegian’s new routes, the airline has partnered with the Guadeloupe Islands Tourist Board to launch a sweepstakes for one lucky person in Boston, Baltimore/ Washington D.C. and New York City metro areas to win a trip for two to the archipelago, including flights on Norwegian and six nights at some of the islands’ top resorts: La Creole Beach Hotel & Spa, Langley Fort Royal Resort and Auberge de la Vieille Tour Hotel. For terms and to enter, please click here.

“These new flights with Norwegian are historic for our destination. It rewards our efficient global development strategy implemented in the US market. As our number one in-bound area in American arrivals, accessibility from the East Coast has been a cornerstone of our US strategy. Therefore, this partnership with a high-quality airline such as Norwegian, is an excellent opportunity for more East Coasters to finally tick the Guadeloupe Islands off their bucket list,” said Hilaire Brudey, Chairman for the Guadeloupe Islands Tourist Board.

"For travelers based in key markets across the Northeast, the charms of Martinique are now closer than ever," said Muriel Wiltord, Director Americas of the Martinique Promotion Bureau. "On behalf of the entire tourism community in Martinique, I'd like to extend a very warm welcome to Norwegian. We look forward to sharing our corner of the French Caribbean and grow the number of passengers in New York, New England, and the Washington, D.C. area."

For more inspiration and travel tips for Guadeloupe Islands and Martinique, please visit Norwegian’s French Caribbean site.

Guadeloupe and Martinique are both overseas departments of France to which the United States-European Union-Iceland-Norway Air Transport Agreement applies. The agreement authorizes unlimited frequencies between any point or points in the EU and any point or points in U.S. territory for any and all U.S., EU, Icelandic, and Norwegian airlines.