FYI
This is kind of old, but it shows what I was talking about.
Brendan Air plans schedules, wants USA 3000 name
David Morrow (06Dec00, 09:51 GMT, 246 words)
US start-up operation Brendan Air is seeking to commence scheduled services alongside its already-proposed charter operations, and has named Philadelphia-Las Vegas and Philadelphia-Aruba as its first scheduled routes.
The Newton Square, Pennsylvania-based carrier - ultimately owned by tour operator John Mullen, a 15% stakeholder in Canada 3000 Airlines - also wants to register the trade-name USA 3000.
Brendan Airways is planning to lease two Airbus A320s next year and a further three in 2002. Four of these will come from General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) and the other from GATX Flightlease. The carrier also intends to add another two of the type in 2003.
In its application to US regulators, the carrier states that it wants the right to operate scheduled interstate and overseas flights in addition to the charter operations for which it applied in September.
Its decision to pursue the Aruba route follows the announcement in October by the island's flag-carrier, Air Aruba, that it was suspending operations.
"This presents a significant commercial opportunity for Brendan Airways," says the US airline.
The carrier is expecting to spend $11 million during its 18-month pre-operational period, and invest a further $49 million in its first year of operations beginning December 2001.
Brendan Airways is owned by Brendan Aviation Holdings which, in turn, is owned by six members of the Mullen family. John Mullen is the founder and principal owner of one of the USA's largest tour operator groups, which includes Apple Vacations and Apple West.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
Charter startup USA 3000 plans limited scheduled offering
Brendan Sobie, Washington DC (05Mar02, 16:46 GMT, 700 words)
Startup USA 3000 plans to expand into scheduled services this summer by independently selling a portion of the seats on some of the flights it now operates for parent company Apple Vacations.
Chief executive Jim Kenney says USA 3000 sees opportunity for offering a combination of charter and scheduled services on existing routes. The carrier has identified Philadelphia-Cancun, Mexico and Newark-Punta Cana, Dominican Republic as the first routes to convert some charter seats into scheduled and is now seeking the necessary authorities from the US Department of Transportation (DOT).
?We?re not looking at doing an entire plane of scheduled service,? Kenney says. ?I don?t see that being our forte now.?
USA 3000 now operates two Airbus A320s from bases in Philadelphia and Newark. The carrier flies entirely on behalf of Apple Vacations to several sunspots in Mexico and the Caribbean, with Cancun and Punta Cana its most frequent destinations. USA 3000 now links Philadelphia and Cancun four times per week and flies between Newark and Punta Cana three times per week.
USA 3000 hopes to later add several more scheduled routes. Kenney says the carrier is considering launching several routes, both international and domestic, that may only be viable by offering a mix of charter and scheduled services on the same flights.
?There are some markets we know Apple can only fill half the airplane,? he says.
USA 3000 may also add some scheduled services from Chicago after it launches a host of charter flights from O?Hare in April. The carrier plans to base both its third and fourth A320 in Chicago.
USA 3000 is scheduled to take its third A320 later this month, its fourth in October and a fifth in November. Kenney says it is still uncertain where the fifth aircraft will be based and he is still working with Apple Vacations to select the carrier?s initial Chicago routes.
Kenney says each of his A320s is flying an average of 11 hours per day, supported by a workforce of 175 employees. The carrier continues to hire pilots, flight attendants, line mechanics and station supervisors but uses outside companies for heavy maintenance and ground handling. USA 3000 has contracted Delta Global and Signature to provide all ground services at Philadelphia and Newark, respectively. Kenney says the carrier is about to finalize a maintenance contract with a vendor and is now seeking a company to handle its new Chicago flights.
Apple uses several US charter operators and is gradually handing over some flights to its new in-house airline. The company mainly offers all-inclusive tour packages, but also sells some air-only deals. Kenney says USA 3000 is considering several options for handling the expansion into scheduled services, including opening up its own sales office and hiring an outside sales agent.
He says the carrier first wants to secure all the necessary DOT authorities before moving forward with a sales plan this summer. USA 3000 was certified late last year to offer both charter and scheduled services but must secure separate authority for each scheduled route.
The carrier, which operates under the name Brendan Airways, secured authority last year to offer scheduled services from Philadelphia to Aruba and Las Vegas, but has decided not to go forward with these routes for now. It applied last week for scheduled authority from Philadelphia to Cancun and from Newark to Punta Cana.
Kenney says USA 3000 would be interested in also offering scheduled services between Newark and Cancun, but is precluded from this route by the USA-Mexico bilateral. The bilateral does not allow more than US and two Mexican carriers from operating scheduled services on any city pair. American Airlines and Continental Airlines already have the US carrier designation between New York and Cancun, leaving no room for a third new-entrant. US Airways, however, is the only US scheduled carrier now linking Philadelphia and Cancun, operating a daily flight on the route.
USA 3000 hopes to become the only scheduled carrier linking New York and Punta Cana. The Dominican resort now has very limited scheduled service, with LanChile stopping in Punta Cana between Miami and Santiago two times per week and Northwest Airlines operating a weekly flight to Detroit and a weekly flight to Minneapolis.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
