First flight on LATAM [LIM-SJO] operated by Lan Peru division.



January 02, 2018.

Regards.

La Aurora International Airport pax statistic are out for 2017

3,027,296

SJOtoLIR wrote:

The information about the new US routes of Volaris Costa Rica was posted in local media on December 01st. No info yet concerning to the airport in New York City where they're planning to fly later.
I don't want to speculate about other potential US airports for Q6.

Regards.

Midnight arrivals to LAX, IAD, and JFK (all twice weekly each). All of Y4's operations at JFK are overnight except for the MEX-JFK flight gained through the slot reallocations from the DL/AM JV. All operate via San Salvador (and thus Y4 has SAL-SJO flown 6x weekly). All will be on A319 equipment.

CM PTY-FLL 4x weekly will be gradually upgraded up to 6x weekly in February.

adamh8297 wrote:

juanchito wrote:

Posible new routes
SAL-CTG, SAL-BOS and SAL-MCO

Juanchito

Are these your guesses or has AV stated they are looking at these?

Thanks!

On board magazine from Avianca for the month of January 2018
BOS and MCO from SAL, more routes from BOG and LIM also

juanchito wrote:

adamh8297 wrote:

juanchito wrote:

Posible new routes
SAL-CTG, SAL-BOS and SAL-MCO

Juanchito

Are these your guesses or has AV stated they are looking at these?

Thanks!

On board magazine from Avianca for the month of January 2018
BOS and MCO from SAL, more routes from BOG and LIM also

Is it known if any official when the official announcement will be made?

Please continue your discussion and to post your updates here.

Link to previous thread:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1379465

SJOtoLIR wrote:

CM PTY-FLL 4x weekly will be gradually upgraded up to 6x weekly in February.

IMHO, CM PTY - FLL should have been upgraded to daily weeks ago.

NK FLL-PTY is operating daily on this holiday season.
However, it runs thrice a week regularly.
Copa Airlines seems to take advantage due to CM FLL-PTY 6x weekly against NK FLL-PTY 3x weekly.

Regards.

NickolayAv wrote:

juanchito wrote:

adamh8297 wrote:

Are these your guesses or has AV stated they are looking at these?

Thanks!

On board magazine from Avianca for the month of January 2018
BOS and MCO from SAL, more routes from BOG and LIM also

Is it known if any official when the official announcement will be made?

Don't know when they will make if official.

SJOtoLIR wrote:

CM PTY-FLL 4x weekly will be gradually upgraded up to 6x weekly in February.

On the other side of the state, I believe PTY-TPA is also growing to daily this year.

LATAM [SJO-LIM] goes from 3x to 4x weekly, on board 320/319 aircraft.
Effective: March 06th.
These flights just began on January 02nd.

Regards.

SJOtoLIR wrote:

LATAM [SJO-LIM] goes from 3x to 4x weekly, on board 320/319 aircraft.
Effective: March 06th.
These flights just began on January 02nd.

I find weird that neither AV nor LATAM have venture into LIM-PTY-LIM.
IMHO, there's room for either on that route, specially if LIM-PTY is late evenings and PTY-LIM early morning just like AV BOG/SAL-PTY schedule.

I find it interesting that LATAM has not expanded more into Central America and Mexico in general.

yellowtail wrote:

I find it interesting that LATAM has not expanded more into Central America and Mexico in general.

Given LATAM LIM-SJO-LIM times matching its LIM hub banks, it's highly unlikely it would add tag-on to either MGA or GUA from SJO.
AV SAL-LIM works because it has feed from both hubs.
LATAM flying LIM to other Central American airports, be MGA or GUA would have to rely on O/D from Central America and that demand isn't there yet, except for some leisure travel type LIM-CTG previously contracted by some South American tour operator.
Also, since LATAM and AA are in the same alliance, no chance of seeing daytime MIA-LIM and LIM-MIA via SJO/MGA/GUA.

LATAM resumed BSB-PUJ flights on January 6th. 2x weekly:

Saturdays:

JJ8104 BSB 1530 - PUJ 1940 A319
JJ8105 PUJ 2330 - BSB 0730 A319

Sundays:

JJ8102 BSB 1605 - PUJ 2015 A319
JJ8103 PUJ 2120 - BSB 0520 + 1 A319.

Aircraft are typical LATAM configuration, Y144.

EDIT: Mistakenly posted here, instead of the Caribbean aviation thread. I was unable to delete/move my post, my apologies.

2travel2know2 wrote:

there's room for either on that route, specially if LIM-PTY is late evenings and PTY-LIM early morning just like AV BOG/SAL-PTY schedule.

CM PTY-LIM is now 5x daily, in average.
In my view, it's a very well served market allowing different flights throughout the day.
Any LP LIM-PTY may barely begin as 3x weekly and it cannot be fairly compared to CM PTY-LIM 35x weekly.
This is not the situation in San Jose, taking into account the sole non-stop service AV SJO-LIM 7x weekly. Rumor has it that many passengers are currently flying on CM SJO-PTY and then CM PTY-LIM and vice versa.

Regards.

In Aviateca hangar in La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City. 13 airplanes will be painted in Avianca current livery in year 2018

Avianca Colombia = 3 Airbus A320
Aerogal = 1 Airbus A320
Taca = 8 Embraer E190 y 1 Airbus A320

Regards,

https://www.crhoy.com/nacionales/aviaci ... ature-air/

Due to the resignation of several airline officials in the wake of the crash from 12/31/17, DGAC has officially suspended all Nature Air operations indefinitely. I don't think this is overall good news, it could mean the end for Nature Air.

LTU932 wrote:

https://www.crhoy.com/nacionales/aviacion-civil-suspende-operaciones-de-nature-air/

Due to the resignation of several airline officials in the wake of the crash from 12/31/17, DGAC has officially suspended all Nature Air operations indefinitely. I don't think this is overall good news, it could mean the end for Nature Air.

Nature Air just anonunced SJO-DAV flights. Now with Nature Air not flying and Air Panama leaving the route sometime ago one wonders if AV or CM (!) might be interested to fly the route.

LTU932 wrote:

it could mean the end for Nature Air.

The suspension of 5C was primarily due to the disability license of the air security chief and the death of the head of pilot training, among other issues.
5C SJO-DAV began on December 01st.

Regards.

SJOtoLIR wrote:

LTU932 wrote:

it could mean the end for Nature Air.

The suspension of 5C was primarily due to the disability license of the air security chief and the death of the head of pilot training, among other issues.
5C SJO-DAV began on December 01st.

Regards.

I'm aware of that, but let's face it: Even if it's for operational reasons like DGAC has explained, any airline shutdown, even if temporary, spells bad news. 5C is a small airline. They may not be as big as e.g. LH is (which was on the brink of bankruptcy in the early 1990s before privatisation), Someone on Twitter even said that this could end up in revelations that may hurt 5C (which, honestly, ain't far fetched at all), so stay tuned.

One thing I'd also like to mention are the complaints about the long lines at exit passport control and inbound immigration at SJO and LIR. Aeris and Coriport are blaming DGME, DGME is talking about issues at their data centre in SJO.

I'm gonna spend an extended weekend in Panama in April, and while on the inbound I just hope the citizen's line progresses faster than the rest of the lines (which I assume it will), I'm a bit concerned about exit passport control, making me think I should arrive at the airport like 4 hours before departure. I know April isn't high season (though it's right after Easter and the date is just after a likely second round of the Presidential elections), but concerns are lingering. I do support DGME's new immigration procedures with them dropping the landing/departure cards, controlling passports on exit like they do on the land borders and the small interviews on arrival.

About this also a question: Why did DGME decide 20 years ago to get rid of exit passport control at SJO in the first place? I know they had exit passport controls in the 1980's and 1990s, so I don't know why they would get rid of that and why they didn't bring that back earlier.

Looks like PTY to MDZ is going to be daily after July 16.

From Twitter:

Gustavo Esusy@gesusy
A partir del 16 de Julio @CopaAirlines con vuelos diarios conectando #mendoza vía el #hubdelasamericas en Panamá. @enteturismomza

https://twitter.com/gesusy/status/952917662383919105

Kilgen wrote:

Looks like PTY to MDZ is going to be daily after July 16.

From Twitter:

Gustavo Esusy@gesusy
A partir del 16 de Julio @CopaAirlines con vuelos diarios conectando #mendoza vía el #hubdelasamericas en Panamá. @enteturismomza

https://twitter.com/gesusy/status/952917662383919105

MDZ going daily after 6 month or so of start could mean another CM destination in Argentina by years end?
SLA or TUC ?

2travel2know2 wrote:

Kilgen wrote:

Looks like PTY to MDZ is going to be daily after July 16.

From Twitter:

Gustavo Esusy@gesusy
A partir del 16 de Julio @CopaAirlines con vuelos diarios conectando #mendoza vía el #hubdelasamericas en Panamá. @enteturismomza

https://twitter.com/gesusy/status/952917662383919105

MDZ going daily after 6 month or so of start could mean another CM destination in Argentina by years end?
SLA or TUC ?

Well, CM will need that Panama and Argentina to negotiate a new bilateral, or that the Argentinian Government approves fx outside of the bilateral. As with these flights, all the fx in the bilateral are used up.

Kilgen wrote:

Well, CM will need that Panama and Argentina to negotiate a new bilateral, or that the Argentinian Government approves fx outside of the bilateral. As with these flights, all the fx in the bilateral are used up.

Question is What does the bilateral says about (scheduled) charter flights between PTY and Argentina?
I can imagine Argentina getting tough on extra frequencies to EZE but being quite open when it comes to flights to other major Argentine cities with no CM service yet.

Starting July, CM goes daily to Curaçao.

Starting July 2018….. Daily Copa Airlines Flights Between Panama And Curaçao
WILLEMSTAD - Curaçao Tourist Board (CTB), Curaçao Airport Partners (CAP), Curaçao Airport Holding (CAH) and Curaçao Hospitality and Tourism Association (CHATA) is pleased to announce that as of July 2018 the Panamanian airline, Copa Airlines will increase service to daily between Panama and Curaçao.

The non-stop flights from Panama to Curaçao will be operated daily with a 96 seats Embraer 190.

http://curacaochronicle.com/tourism/sta ... d-curacao/

Have not seen this posted yet: two days ago, El Salvador government signed an agreement with Qatar (news don't give details about the content of such agreement), which would open the possibility for a flight between the two nations. Qatar airways has allegedly shown some interest in the mentioned route, giving the "airport and connectivity conditions". (Link in Spanish: http://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nego ... -salvador/

Personally I think this is just part of a series of agreements our government is signing with Qatar; I see it far from being executed as such. Nevertheless, the idea of having a little gateway to the ME in Central America, trough Panamá or any other country, is not far fetched.

while I don' think a DOH-SAL flight is imminent, SAL is a good a place in any in Central America to fly into for QR if they wanted to take a gamble. they could partner with AV for access to its SAL hub, and SAL (and nearby cities such as GUA) are not small at all. All have decent manufacturing and industrial infrastructure (textile, Pharma etc) , with some Indian and Chinese traffic related to that. a DOH-SAL flight could see connections to SJO/TGU/SAP/GUA/BZE/RTB/MGA/PTY/MDE/BOG/CUN/HAV/MEX/LIM and a few others. that is not insignificant. Whether it would fill a 350 is another story.

The United Arab Emirates and Costa Rica signed in 2017 an agreement of understanding to promote trade and investment, but it doesn't mean EK in San Jose.
EK DXB-PTY also suspended their plans to Panama in 2016. In my view, the lack of proper demand of passengers is the result of that suspension.

Regards.

First landing at SJO

https://www.airliners.net/photo/LAN-Airl ... 0t1g%3D%3D

SJOtoLIR wrote:

The United Arab Emirates and Costa Rica signed in 2017 an agreement of understanding to promote trade and investment, but it doesn't mean EK in San Jose.
EK DXB-PTY also suspended their plans to Panama in 2016. In my view, the lack of proper demand of passengers is the result of that suspension.

Regards.

AFAIK that agreement also included a visa waiver treaty for Costa Ricans travelling into the UAE. So evidently, a foundation of EK eventually coming to SJO is laid out but if demand isn't there, then they ain't coming.

WK ZRH-SJO goes from 2x to 3x weekly.
Effective: September 30.
The airline announced a load factor of 85% in such flights.

Regards.

Any news from Costa Rica 5C ?

2travel2know2 wrote:

Any news from Costa Rica 5C ?

Nothing new so far except what I posted the last time with 5C shutting down temporarily. I still insist that this will be likely the end of 5C, even if the shutdown is mandated by regulation and only temporary.

DGME has announced that they're expanding exit passport control at SJO and LIR. They made the press release on Facebook. SJO will increase exit passport control booths from 10 to 16 and LIR from 4 to 8. They also announced that during the day, they'll shift personnel between inbound immigration and exit passport control depending on demand. Personally, a very wise decision, plus I maintain to the people who criticise the new immigration inspections that the restored exit controls are a must nowadays. Without them, you couldn't really prevent criminals from exiting the country plus you'd have the problems with people getting removed from airplanes because the government imposed travel bans on them because e.g. of lack of alimony payment and for being minors, where there have been many cases of their bans being completely unjustified. This was covered at length by the media in 2016.

I'm eager to see how this goes, especially this April on my trip to Panama. I still have my very first passport and back in the 1980s and 1990s, SJO still had exit checks (though I hardly remember them, I was a kid back then). My first foreign immigration stamp was from PTY and personally, I'm very hyped about finally spending an extended weekend in Panama again for the first time in over 30 years.

LTU932 wrote:

DGME has announced that they're expanding exit passport control at SJO and LIR. They made the press release on Facebook. SJO will increase exit passport control booths from 10 to 16 and LIR from 4 to 8. They also announced that during the day, they'll shift personnel between inbound immigration and exit passport control depending on demand. Personally, a very wise decision, plus I maintain to the people who criticise the new immigration inspections that the restored exit controls are a must nowadays. Without them, you couldn't really prevent criminals from exiting the country plus you'd have the problems with people getting removed from airplanes because the government imposed travel bans on them because e.g. of lack of alimony payment and for being minors, where there have been many cases of their bans being completely unjustified. This was covered at length by the media in 2016.

Really nice that Costa Rica is re-implementing exit stamps. Panama doesnt hace them, and that means only 2 stamps when I visit CR, instead of 3. It sounds silly, but I enjoy the stamps on my passport.

Why they didnt do virtual control like the USA and Panama?

shaq wrote:

Why they didnt do virtual control like the USA and Panama?

What do you mean? Except for ATL, where CBP is running an exit immigration trial with DL, they only register people leaving the country via the passenger manifest. In Costa Rica, you had to fill out an exit immigration form, which you either get from the airline at check-in, or when you pay the exit tax (in case of airlines that still don't charge the tax through the ticket). That got checked and if there's a red flag, ATC was responsible for keeping the aircraft on the ground to prevent it from taking off with that passenger, until PPM (immigration police) comes pick that passenger up (despite this not being in the ATC's scope of work). If the ATC controller still let the aircraft leave the country, he'd have to pay a major fine and he could possibly lose his job, even face charges over this. What Costa Rica used to have was a very flawed system.

This reactivated exit control puts responsibility fully back with the immigration authorities. If a red flag is detected during exit passport control, then you won't even be allowed through security by PPM. ATCs can now focus on what they're being paid for, which is controlling air traffic.

BTW: I don't know if they do stamp passports on exit at SJO and LIR, or if they do it like the EU does with EU citizens, which is check the passport, not stamp it and let the passenger through. Costa Rica did have exit control stamps back in the 1980s and 1990s at SJO.

First MAX for Copa Airlines will be arriving in 3Q of 2018.
It will be a MAX9

Juanchito

juanchito wrote:

First MAX for Copa Airlines will be arriving in 3Q of 2018.
It will be a MAX9

Juanchito

According to their fleet plan, 5 B39M are arriving this year and 10 more next year. http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/ ... t_Plan.pdf

Also Copa's second to last B738 arrived yesterday to PTY.

LTU932 wrote:

BTW: I don't know if they do stamp passports on exit at SJO and LIR, or if they do it like the EU does with EU citizens, which is check the passport, not stamp it and let the passenger through. Costa Rica did have exit control stamps back in the 1980s and 1990s at SJO.

No, I flew out of SJO back in December with the new "visible" migration controls, and they are not stamping the passports upon departure from the country, only at arrival.

mabadia71 wrote:

LTU932 wrote:

BTW: I don't know if they do stamp passports on exit at SJO and LIR, or if they do it like the EU does with EU citizens, which is check the passport, not stamp it and let the passenger through. Costa Rica did have exit control stamps back in the 1980s and 1990s at SJO.

No, I flew out of SJO back in December with the new "visible" migration controls, and they are not stamping the passports upon departure from the country, only at arrival.

Too bad, I would've loved that extra stamp, but I still maintain the new exit controls are definitely a must nowadays. I'm guessing it's just scanning the passport, check for red flags, register departure and let you on the way if all is green. Another thing that I support with these new immigration checks is that you're no longer required to fill out an immigration form at all, replacing it with a short interview. Only the customs form is still required on the inbound.

According to the OAG thread, UA is axing the once a week ERW - GUA route sarting in May, which is odd because its loads were descent especially when it was expanded through out the week. I hope this entices B6 ti start shop in GUA or Volaris CR to start GUA - JFK.

That flight will be axed only on May. If you check United website, flight is back on June

aer wrote:

According to the OAG thread, UA is axing the once a week ERW - GUA route sarting in May, which is odd because its loads were descent especially when it was expanded through out the week. I hope this entices B6 ti start shop in GUA or Volaris CR to start GUA - JFK.

aer wrote:

or Volaris CR to start GUA - JFK.

The upcoming Q6 SJO-SAL-JFK 2x weekly may transfer inbound Guatemalan travelers through SAL on Q6 GUA-SAL and vice versa.
On the other hand, this connecting service shouldn't be available once in San Salvador. Furthermore, these flights are not properly timed.

Regards.

Bright illustration of the architect concerning to the upcoming southern pier at PTY:



Regards.

SJOtoLIR wrote:

these flights are not properly timed.

and my point being...

Q6 GUA 07.46........08.48 SAL
Q6 SAL 17.05.........18.08 GUA

Q6 SAL 16.45.........23.49 JFK
Q6 JFK 01.37.........05.00 SAL

Regards.

SJOtoLIR wrote:

Bright illustration of the architect concerning to the upcoming southern pier at PTY:



Regards.

Unfortunately, the central graden has been removed from the T2.

Lets hope that the finished product looks similarly. Also rumor has it, that it will be late. They may not finish it by this year.

So far, the T2 looks like:

https://twitter.com/Tocumen_Aero/status ... 0978413569

https://twitter.com/Tocumen_Aero/status ... 7279934464

World Youth Encounter organisers study use of Albrook PAC.
https://metrolibre.com/index.php/nacionales/115348-cerrarian-el-aeropuerto-de-albrook-para-la-jmj-en-2019
Next January, Panama will host Pope Francis and there's a chance, if PAC is needed, PAC will be closed several weeks.

2travel2know2 wrote:

World Youth Encounter organisers study use of Albrook PAC.
https://metrolibre.com/index.php/nacionales/115348-cerrarian-el-aeropuerto-de-albrook-para-la-jmj-en-2019
Next January, Panama will host Pope Francis and there's a chance, if PAC is needed, PAC will be closed several weeks.

Why close PAC for several weeks if the Pope is gonna be in the country for only a few days? I read the article but I still don't get it.

That being said, how do you think traffic is gonna be handled during the closure of PAC? Will flights to PAC divert to BLB, perhaps split traffic up between BLB and PTY, or just go with PTY altogether?