Travel News


News from Panama / Thursday, September 27th, 2012

Here is an update on new routes and connections from the Latin Business Traveler.  American Airlines is on a self district mode while COPA is rapidly expanding.  I stopped flying AA years ago when it became more of a cattle car run.  COPA is the airline of choice for travel to LatAm.

Travel News

New Airline Routes and Route Changes

Copa Airlines will add a fourth daily round trip between Sao Paulo and its Panama City home base, beginning Dec. 15. It will leave Panama in the evening and leave Sao Paulo in early morning.

Iberia Airlines has cancelled both of its weekly flights from Barcelona, Spain, to Sao Paulo. The flights will end on Oct. 31.

LanChile will add a sixth daily round trip flight between Santiago de Chile and Sao Paulo, beginning Dec. 17. The flight will leave Santiago late at night, and depart Sao Paulo very early in the morning.

Beginning this December, Air Canada will operate daily service between Toronto, Canada and Santiago de Chile. Five days a week, the service will continue on from Santiago to Buenos Aires.
Aerolineas Argentinas will introduce a second daily Buenos Aires to Miami/Miami to Buenos Aires flight beginning Dec. 8.

Other Airline News

American Airlines, which is in bankruptcy proceedings, continues to lock horns with its unions as they negotiate for concessions that might bring the airline out of bankruptcy. Although it has come to agreements with its other unions, it has not reached an agreement with its pilots, instead imposing pay and benefit cuts, as U.S. laws allow in bankruptcy. Pilots have been calling in sick and filing increasing numbers of maintenance reports, contributing to thousands of delays and hundreds of flight cancellations across American’s system as the airline scrambles to keep up and anticipate pilot shortages or maintenance requests.