- Thread starter MiamiDRGuy
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ARAJET
The new 10th plane that Arajet got just left NYC this afternoon and will be in PUJ this evening so they are trying to make that happen
Ahh, I though you had certain info about it, when thats come you must be sure that first flights will start from SDQ and STI, for that route Dominicans will fill the planes in 1, 2, 3.
By the way no record of that flight on flighradar24.
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Dominicans will fill most ARAJET airplanes flying to/from NYC from Santo Domingo and Santiago. Where this will not happen is if it flies to/from Punta Cana, but it isn’t as if there is a shortage of Americans that fill all the airplanes that right now cover this route. ARAJET coukd have an opportunity there too.
It would be interesting if all ARAJET airplanes are at JFK each in gates next to each other and at about the same time they are flying back tonthe DR, but different airports. Reminds me of a time I was flying to the DR on Jetblue and every airplane in the gates next to each other were heading were heading to the DR + one to Port-au-Prince. It was hard to ignore that at the waiting area to gate of the airplane heading to Punta Cana was filled with white people. The one to Port-au-Prince was filled of a very very black mass of people. Then a kaleidoscope of colors for those in the waiting areas of gates for SD and STI. lol
It would be interesting if all ARAJET airplanes are at JFK each in gates next to each other and at about the same time they are flying back tonthe DR, but different airports. Reminds me of a time I was flying to the DR on Jetblue and every airplane in the gates next to each other were heading were heading to the DR + one to Port-au-Prince. It was hard to ignore that at the waiting area to gate of the airplane heading to Punta Cana was filled with white people. The one to Port-au-Prince was filled of a very very black mass of people. Then a kaleidoscope of colors for those in the waiting areas of gates for SD and STI. lol
That happend now in SDQ I flew Arajet 2 weeks ago and departed 6 planes that afternoon,
Thats no so good for SDQ and Dominicans, I think if they are planning to have a Hub split the operations between 2 airports very close for sure one of them will die within a time and looks like Arajet will change the slogan the Airline for Dominicans to the Airline for the tourist. I may be wrong but most of the Dominicans are not going to take a flight to Punta Cana.
Another aspect I have think of is that taking out the Dominicans taking as example last may 41,000 Dominicans living in DR came into SDQ and only 4,000 to Punta Cana and counting only with the tourist in SDQ they are alone in almost all the routes meanwhile in Punta Cana lates news says Sky Peru is increasing from 7 to 11 flights per week, Latam Peru increasing to 14 flights per week, Latam Chile increasing flights using 787-900 that take over 300 pax, Gol from Sao Paulo increased to 4 flights per week and can do it to 7 easyly and add other flights from another hubs in Brasil, Aerolineas has widebodies planes, Fom Colombia Wingo, Avianca competing for all the tourist. Wingo and Avianca also fly to SDQ but we add the Dominicans that last year visited Colombia 300,000. Some body commented that they are sending 3 buses to Punta Cana 2 times a day but those 3 buses are arround 150 seats out of 1,300 seas in 6 or 7 planes arriving at the same time., Lets see what will happend at the end but I do not see good plan opening flights to Punta Cana and making weaker their new hub in Santo Domingo.
Im not expert this is just my opinion that may be wrong, but we will see.
Forgot also abut Canadians Airlines they have a lot flights and also can put widebodies airplanes, almost 100% of the Canadians travel with all inclusive package who sells Canadians airlines, and Im sure they will react to this news, so lets see
Dominicans only fly in large numbers from SDQ to a number of places, mostly in the USA and Spain. Colombia has become popular with Dominicans vacationing abroad. I’m sure Arajet will keep flying from SDQ to Colombia and then, once the open skies agreement is in effect, to places like NYC, Boston, Miami, etc. The same might happen with other airports it will too use as “mini hubs” such as Santiago which has been almost from its beginning an aerial expressway with NYC except that most or every airline taking much or all of that pie aren’t Dominican.
The routes where the bulk or all passengers in all its flights are simply connecting in the DR might be moved to Punta Cana simply because it’s a better run airport than AILA (and things get done faster in PC.) In PC it will not have flights where most or all passengers are Dominicans unlike in SDQ or STI, but there will be flights where most passengers are foreigners and not connecting (ie. tourists) and those will play a similar role as the routes maintained from SDQ and STI mostly by Dominicans.
Well they said came to create better connectivity and make possible Dominicans could fly without making stops, bring tourist and people in transit, make low fare hub in Santo Domingo, so moving flights to Punta Cana do not match with that because its making weaker the hub. Thats my point.
My point is that many tourists coming from the US or Canada who want to go to PC will not take Arajet to SDQ and then take a 2 hour bus ride to PC - they'll pick an airline that flies direct to PUJ. So, I don't see how Arajet has anything to lose by having some flights from some key cities in the US or Canada to PUJ. That does not make PUJ a hub for Arajet just because they have some flight there.
I agree it's bad news for tourism in Santo Domingo if Arajet starts to fly from PUJ. They will end up seeing much better margins and will move the bulk of their operation to there.
GOL the Brazilian airline did exactly the same. Used to fly planeloads of Brazilians to SDQ in low season which was great for.the hotels in the city. Then they discovered life was sweeter in PUJ and eventually abandoned SDQ.
Just walk around the Colonial Zone and you can see how many empty shops and restaurants there are. Those that are still open are just about hanging on in with the Colombians and Peruvians who are coming in on Arajet.
GOL the Brazilian airline did exactly the same. Used to fly planeloads of Brazilians to SDQ in low season which was great for.the hotels in the city. Then they discovered life was sweeter in PUJ and eventually abandoned SDQ.
Just walk around the Colonial Zone and you can see how many empty shops and restaurants there are. Those that are still open are just about hanging on in with the Colombians and Peruvians who are coming in on Arajet.
For example from Canada most of those tourist arrive to Punta Cana with packages that sold by same airlines bringing them full package, all those airlines as I said has the capacity to put widebodies planes to Punta Cana to make harder Arajet to get few passenger, if we look south their airlines fly from their own Hubs in south and wich all of them started increasing flights to Punta Cana, so as you can see going to fly directly into PUJ will be very hard challenger for them getting tourist. We will see how all those airlines will react to that and almost none Dominicans flying with them from PUJ.
indeed, not only for Santo Domingo for the rest of the Country as a lot people is making an stop in Santo Domingo one or tow days and from there moved to other regions of the country. I have visitted Brazil 3 times and the plane come and go with Dominicans, Brazileans and other nationalities. I may be wrong but Im sure a big number of Dominicans flying out wont go Punta Cana.
I think I'm still missing your point.(?). Whether or not Arajet can make money on a couple routes, say YYZ-PUJ or JFK-PUJ is a business and marketing decision they will have to make. In any case, I don't see how those flights would have any impact on their other flights into SDQ(?). I's like to see some statistics on how many of their passengers that are now flying into SDQ continue on to PC on the bus.
Alao the view over La Caleta while landing at the AILA isn’t quite what you want to see when in vacation mode. Oh sure, landing from the sea area is nice, but that’s not every flight.
Punta Cana doesn’t have a La Caleta in the direction of landing or departing. In fact, all that area west of the airport should be either declared a national park by the government or Grupo Puntacana buy all that land to conserve it as a privately owned national park (I think that would be a first in the DR.) The alternative is future development plans as they have been doing in Puntacana Village but maybe slightly more down market due to the airplane noise which must be great in thag area. Of course, there is the option of both (part development, part conserved nature.) The point is to control that area and prevent a slum from being created there.
The question remains: How many of the passengers on Arajet flying into SDQ are going to PC?
Arajet now rents coach buses to transport those using their airplanes, but vacationing in PC’s resorts. I think it’s better to simply take them directly to PC rather than SDQ and from there a bus ride to PC.