Seems somebody’s got faith in the future. A trio of airlines just announced new nonstop international service from North America, service set to take wing during the first half of 2012. The bottom line: more options for more fliers.
Here’s what’s happening:
- Continental is set to lay on nonstop Washington, DC flights to Manchester, UK in May. According to OAG there is no nonstop service between the two cities just now.
- In June of next year Continental intends to begin nonstop Washington, DC flights to Dublin. The move is subject to government approval. Again, no one else currently flies the route.
- Out on the West Coast, Continental says it will launch nonstop Los Angeles flights to Durango, Mexico. The move is contingent upon governmental go-ahead, and flights are scheduled to start in March 2012. OAG indicates there is no service from LAX to the Mexican city right now.
- More movement, this time to Latin America: United plans to start nonstop New York/Newark flights to Buenos Aires next April. While American Airlines offers nonstop New York Kennedy flights to Buenos Aires, there are no nonstops to the Argentinean capital from Newark.
United and Continental are in the process of merging, and one of the strategies appears to be increasing their combined international reach. Historically Continental has been very strong across the Atlantic, and United across the Pacific.
- Meanwhile, out of the Pacific Northwest, Virgin Atlantic intends to launch nonstop seasonal Vancouver flights to London come May of 2012. That will mean four carriers will link the two cities nonstop according to OAG: British Airways, Air Canada, Air Transat, and Virgin Atlantic. A number of fliers from the US Pacific Northwest use VYR as a jumping off place for transpacific and transatlantic flights.
Connecting the dots can be interesting. What two cities would you like to see linked nonstop?
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: Nathan Meijer)
