Remember when the pandemic PUJ closed few weeks and SDQ never closed after started to open airports. Thats why I said also that fly into PUJ its not that simple as fly into other airports because there all seats are filled by companies that prepaid for the seats and the rooms and all contracts deals are made in march every year, so you can not just open a flight and say here I am in Punta Cana, while other airports do not depend on that and you just only have to say I will start to fly in 3 months. Building a newborn Hub from the beginning you can not start adding flights out of your main hub because you are making you weak yourself. Just Check Copa all in one Airport, Avianca with BOG - Bogota and focus city hub in MDE- Medellin wich is like 1 hr away flying. PUJ its 15 minutos by air and less than 2 Hrs by road.
- Thread starter MiamiDRGuy
- Start date
ARAJET
Post from Aviciaion News (Facebook):
Arajet will begin operations at Punta Cana Airport from November
Arajet and the Puntacana Group signed an agreement in order for the low cost to start its operations at the Punta Cana Airport from November 1st. The agreement was announced jointly, in a statement containing the testimonies of Frank Elias Rainieri, CEO of Grupo Puntacana and Victor Pacheco, CEO and founder of Arajet. Just in, the airline owner explained that Punta Cana Airport will become the second base of Ajet. "We are committed to Arajet being the airline of all Dominicans, and therefore we have always wanted to fly to all airports in the country to allow them the opportunity to travel to other destinations with the lowest prices in the market," said Pacheco. And continued: "We are very happy and grateful to be able to achieve this alliance with the Puntacana Group, as this airport currently concentrates the most number of visitors who arrive to the country by air, becoming a favorite destination for tourists." We are fully sure that, together we will make the Dominican Republic, become the new aerial hub of the continent." On his part, Reinieri said: "We thank the Arajet Airlines for placing their trust in Punta Cana Airport and inviting us to form part of their expansion plans, in order to promote tourism and economic growth of the country." Punta Cana will become the third destination of Arajet in the Dominican Republic, as in addition to AILA, the airline operates regular flights at Cibao International Airport and is exploring the possibility of adding flights from Puerto Plata International Airport.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/AviacionNews
Arajet will begin operations at Punta Cana Airport from November
Arajet and the Puntacana Group signed an agreement in order for the low cost to start its operations at the Punta Cana Airport from November 1st. The agreement was announced jointly, in a statement containing the testimonies of Frank Elias Rainieri, CEO of Grupo Puntacana and Victor Pacheco, CEO and founder of Arajet. Just in, the airline owner explained that Punta Cana Airport will become the second base of Ajet. "We are committed to Arajet being the airline of all Dominicans, and therefore we have always wanted to fly to all airports in the country to allow them the opportunity to travel to other destinations with the lowest prices in the market," said Pacheco. And continued: "We are very happy and grateful to be able to achieve this alliance with the Puntacana Group, as this airport currently concentrates the most number of visitors who arrive to the country by air, becoming a favorite destination for tourists." We are fully sure that, together we will make the Dominican Republic, become the new aerial hub of the continent." On his part, Reinieri said: "We thank the Arajet Airlines for placing their trust in Punta Cana Airport and inviting us to form part of their expansion plans, in order to promote tourism and economic growth of the country." Punta Cana will become the third destination of Arajet in the Dominican Republic, as in addition to AILA, the airline operates regular flights at Cibao International Airport and is exploring the possibility of adding flights from Puerto Plata International Airport.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/AviacionNews
Dominican Republic and United States sign historic open skies deal
<p>Washington.- The Dominican Republic’s Minister of Tourism, David Collado, and U.S. Under Secretary of State, José W. Fernández, have finalized a historic open skies agreement aimed at enhancing air travel between the two countries. The official signing ceremony, led by President Luis...
dominicantoday.com
Now, Arajet can start service to America starting end of the year
That explains the move to PUJ................They knew.........Dominican Republic and United States sign historic open skies deal
<p>Washington.- The Dominican Republic’s Minister of Tourism, David Collado, and U.S. Under Secretary of State, José W. Fernández, have finalized a historic open skies agreement aimed at enhancing air travel between the two countries. The official signing ceremony, led by President Luis...
Now, Arajet can start service to America starting end of the year
Dominican Republic and United States sign historic open skies deal
<p>Washington.- The Dominican Republic’s Minister of Tourism, David Collado, and U.S. Under Secretary of State, José W. Fernández, have finalized a historic open skies agreement aimed at enhancing air travel between the two countries. The official signing ceremony, led by President Luis...
Now, Arajet can start service to America starting end of the year
The competition should, but may not impact fares, absent some mini price matches and loss leader pricing. All the airlines have fixed costs. How they manage their fixed costs along with the costs of which they have no control, impact an airlines ability to stay in business.
Arajet, an ultra low cost carrier, has been able to keep fares reasonable because of how they operate. By way of examples, they currently charge for a carryon bag with a sliding fee based on when you book. Most airlines allow a carryon for free. Next, they do not use jetway bridges whenever possible, avoiding an airport fee there.
Finally, and most importantly, they must pay for landing slots at the airports they intend to fly into……..if such slots are even available……and they are very coveted by the airlines who have them. Some may lease their slots to other carriers, but there are no guaranteed slots to land just because you have an open skies agreement.
I wish them luck, and unlike their predecessor airlines from the DR, they are far better capitalized to withstand the financial costs and headwinds they are now going to encounter as they try to enter the US market against very stiff competition.
Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
Thanks Playa, I was thinking the same thing. Slots are not always that easy to obtain. As you said they need to pay for them, so the route needs to make sense financially. Meaning the demand has to be there.
Arajet says once the open sky agreement gets through. Miami, Newark (EWR) and San Juan, PR will be the first 3 cities to have flights, then others will follow.
Do you have a link? As one poster has pointed out, just because there is an agreement does not mean they will get the slots. That will be their biggest hurdle as slots are not easy to come by, many airports have limited slots available, if any at all.
That is a pretty ambitious schedule for an airline with only ten planes.
I think their best shot in the US would be at Newark. Miami and San Juan are already over crowded with ultra low cost carriers.....especially San Juan.
JFK would be a possibility once the new terminal is completed.....s more gate slots could become available.
But they had better get more planes and the people to fly/supply them. Any mechanical disruption would wreak havoc on their current proposed schedule.
Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
They have short routes in the Caribbean that can be easily combinated with flights to JKF, MIA its only 2 hrs flight and SJU 1 hr flight.
Ten planes and 23 destinations is a pretty ambitious schedule. And some of their flights are not short haul, unless you consider Toronto and Quebec as short hauls from anywhere Arajet has a presence.
Add in JFK or Newark and you have an even larger problem……the crews needed to staff/fly those planes. As you may well also know, pilots and crew time out and are ineligible to fly after so many hours, usually 10.
I do not believe it can be done unless they severely restrict the days of the week that they fly to each destination.
Add in annual maintenance down time for each plane and or smaller mechanical issues that cause schedule disruption and now factor in weather and I do not see the schedule working unless it is extremely limited to each destination.
Of course the option is to add more aircraft and/or crew and that may be in their plans, but for now I remain skeptical that they can maintain service to all those 23 destinations without having scheduling issues.
Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
Remember, Arajet already ordered 20 planes, they have 10 now and 10 is due more by 2025. By the time, they will be able to do that unless they have to order more planes for future routes.
Right now, Buenos Aires and San Pablo is the longest route that Arajet ever fly in because its 7 hours trip.
I can tell you they can do it, airplanes are made to be flying non stop untill time for checks come, they stopped opening more destinations because will use that free flying time to go USA, right now they have 6 planes on air and 4 grounded. As I told you the schedules will be combined, Aruba, Curacao, Sint Marteen and Kingston are 1 hour flight, Cartagena 1 hr 15 minutes they come and go in 3 hrs, stay grounded 2 hrs then you are using those planes for 5 hrs can take one and go JKF round trip would be like 9 hrs, We get 14 hrs scheduled for one of 9 planes and still you have 10 more hrs free to use it to fly oteher destinations that could be Mexico or Central America, and repeat that same exercise 8 more time and you can flight a lot destinations. One of those 10 planes most be grounded as back up in case there is some problem and need change palnes.
Also can fly MIA, and do it inverse when arriving from longest flying time destination, at arrival put the planes to fly near destinations.
It isn’t official yet, but ARAJET is planning to move its main hub from SDQ to Punta Cana. Every single blame here falls on Aerodom/Vinci. Any unconfirmity should be direct it to them, not ARAJET. SDQ was planned to be the hub of ARAJET since the airline was an idea on paper. The issue doesn’t come from them.
SDQ will keep ARAJET direct flights that are sustained by Dominicans (Medellín, NYC-JFK*, Miami*, Boston*, Orlando*, etc.) All flights that depend on foreigners using the DR as a connecting hub (not to visit the DR) will be moved to PUJ. It’s simply a better run airport and this happen fast over there.
ARAJET is expected to start flying to the USA in the second half of this year.
* It’s a given when they start to fly from SDQ to these places, the Dominican demand alone will keep those flights happening. The same from STI to NYC-JFK, Miami, maybe Boston and maybe Orlando.
SDQ will keep ARAJET direct flights that are sustained by Dominicans (Medellín, NYC-JFK*, Miami*, Boston*, Orlando*, etc.) All flights that depend on foreigners using the DR as a connecting hub (not to visit the DR) will be moved to PUJ. It’s simply a better run airport and this happen fast over there.
ARAJET is expected to start flying to the USA in the second half of this year.
* It’s a given when they start to fly from SDQ to these places, the Dominican demand alone will keep those flights happening. The same from STI to NYC-JFK, Miami, maybe Boston and maybe Orlando.
I just don’t see it as possible unless they get those additional 10 planes and the crews needed to fly them. Crews are limited to flight time. That time, usually begins the moment the plane door is closed. Any delays in pushback or takeoff and landing affect those time lines.
Look for them to scale back certain routes until they can get those additional planes and crews, especially if they are cleared on long haul routes to the US.
Respectfully,
Playacaribe2