Pan American, the revived U.S. flag carrying airline and one of the world’s best known carriers before it went into liquidation in 1991, is back in the air, with its inaugural flight on Thursday, 26 September. Pan Am became insolvent some five years ago, but the former U.S. ambassador to Iceland, Coral Gables businessman Chuck Cobb, bought the name for 1.3 million U.S. dollars via the bankruptcy court, and together with Martin Shugrue, former vice chairman and chief operating officer of the old Pan Am, they are bringing the airline back. The company begins its operations with a New York-Miami flight, and has set up a network with medium-sized airlines abroad that have purchased tickets in advance to help finance the operation.
Pan Am is flying a daily non-stop service to New York from Miami and another on the New York/Los Angeles sector. Services will be expanded in the near future to include San Francisco, San Juan and Chicago.
The airline also has begun to form partnerships with foreign carriers and to offer connecting flights, code-sharing and cooperative frequent flier schemes. Already, international airlines are participating in the venture with Viasa and Taesa from Mexico, APA International from the Dominican Republic, Egyptair, Royal Jordanian, Cayman Airways, Air Ukrania and Icelandair. Another supporter of the venture is the Dutch bank ING, that owns 11 Airbus A-300 jets and has leased three of them to Pan Am for its operations.
Another airline Carnival Airlines could also shortly merge with Pan Am, increasing the number of airports Pan Am flies to, and also the number of aircraft it will have available. This all spells good news for the Dominican Republic as it increases the number of airline seats available to the United States, especially if Pan Am president and chief executive officer Martin Shugrue’s promise that the new Pan Am will offer a quality service at a low cost becomes reality.
Introductory fares (available through 24 Nov., 1996) are US$99 one-way for all economy seats to Miami and US$199 to Los Angeles. First class is priced at US$198 to Miami and US$398 to Los Angeles.
New airport governor
President Leonel Fernandez has appointed a new governor for Las Americas International Airport, the country’s principal passenger port of entry. Television show host and former radio broadcaster Guillermo Sued is now in charge of overseeing operations at the Santo Domingo airport. He replaces Yaqui Núñez del Risco, also from show business, who for some five years sought to resolve the most pressing problems of the terminal and provide a good impression for arriving visitors.