Corporate Travel News For The Americas

American Express Global Business Travel announced (10-Jul-2023) the simplification of its corporate structure. The company entered a series of transactions to eliminate its umbrella partnership-C corporation structure. As a result, all of the company's stockholders now hold the same class of common stock, Class A. The company expects that simplifying its organisational structure will improve market data integrity, increase its weighting on certain indices, eliminate barriers to increased holdings by certain investors and reduce administrative and tax compliance costs. [more - original PR]

Iberia announced (09-Jul-2023) plans to operate over 300 weekly frequencies to Latin America in winter 2023/24, increased 14% compared to 2019. The carrier will offer over two million seats between the regions during the period, with significant growth in Colombia, Peru, Chile, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Brazil and Venezuela. Highlights include:

• Mexico City: Three times daily;
• Bogotá: Three times daily;
• Peru: 13 times weekly;
• Argentina: Twice daily;
• Chile: 10 times weekly;
• Brazil: 10 times weekly. Frequency to Rio will increase from three to four times weekly in Jan/Feb-2024, increasing frequency to Brazil to 11 times weekly during that period;
• Ecuador: 10 times weekly, with Quito frequency increasing to daily;
• Venezuela: Frequency to Caracas increasing from three to five times weekly;
• Dominican Republic: Increasing to nine times weekly in Jan-2023 and 10 times weekly in Feb-2023;
• Puerto Rico: Up to five times weekly in Nov-2023, increasing to daily at the beginning of 2024;
• Havana: Three times weekly;
• Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama and Uruguay: Daily. [more - original PR - Spanish]

BCD Travel appointed (05-Jul-2023) Stephan Baars as president and CEO. Mr Baars previously served as the company's global CFO. [more - original PR]

Emirates Airline launched (05-Jul-2023) daily Dubai-Montreal service using 367 seat Boeing 777-300ER equipment. The service complements Emirates existing daily Dubai-Toronto service and increases the carrier's North American network to 14 destinations. According to OAG, no other carriers operate the route. [more - original PR]

JetBlue Airways announced (05-Jul-2023) it has initiated the termination of its Northeast Alliance (NEA) with American Airlines in order to focus on its proposed combination with Spirit Airlines. Accordingly, the carrier will not appeal a decision by US District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruling that the NEA cannot continue in its current form due to anticompetitive concerns. JetBlue maintained it "strongly disagree[s]" with the court ruling, noting its "deep conviction" in the NEA's procompetitive benefits, however the termination of the NEA will ease US Department of Justice's concerns surrounding the JetBlue/Spirit combination. [more - original PR]

Lufthansa, via its official Twitter account, announced (04-Jul-2023) the re-entry into service of A380 aircraft on the Munich-New York JFK route. As previously reported by CAPA, the carrier already redeployed the A380 on the Munich-Boston route in Jun-2023, and plans to reintroduce it onto Munich-Bangkok service from Oct-2023.

Air New Zealand announced (30-Jun-2023) the following amendments to long term fares from Australia to the US for sales and travel, effective 10-Jul-2023:

• Revised low and shoulder seasonality periods;
• Removal of SLUS1Y, SKLUS1Y and SHUS1Y fares;
• Introduction of new ELUS501Y, EKUS501Y, EHUS501Y, ELUS141Y, EKUS141Y, EHUS141Y, ZUS1201Y and ZUS21Y advance purchase fares;
• Amendments to all fare levels. [more - original PR]

Air Belgium announced (25-Jun-2023) it secured new contracts for passenger and cargo services for summer 2023, in addition to continuing to expand its range of scheduled passenger flights to destinations such as South Africa and Mauritius. The carrier stated new contracts include British Airways (London-Chicago), Royal Air Maroc (Casablanca to Paris CDG, Istanbul and Brussels), Air Madagascar (Paris CDG-Antananarivo), Surinam Airways (Amsterdam-Paramaribo) and Condor Flugdienst (including Frankfurt to Seattle, Chicago and Dominican Republic). The carrier has been operating charter flights for Air Greenland to Kangerlussuaq since Jun-2023, and is "strengthening its interline agreements in South Africa" through to Cemair and Airlink. In addition, Air Belgium will resume operating charter services for customer such as Le Ponant, which organises luxury cruises departing from Kangerlussuaq. [more - original PR]

Transport Canada announced (30-Jun-2023) an investment of CAD30 million (USD22.6 million) to construct a new pre-clearance facility at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport for US-bound travellers. The facility will provide airport passengers with the opportunity to clear customs in Toronto, rather than upon landing at US airports. The facility is scheduled to be operational in 2025. [more - original PR - Transport Canada] [more - original PR - PortsToronto]

JetBlue Airways launched (29-Jun-2023) daily New York JFK-Paris CDG service using A321LR equipment. JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes stated the service launch "is poised to disrupt the [trans-Atlantic] market once again with our award winning service and low fares". According to OAG, Air France, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Norse Atlantic Airways also operate the route. [more - original PR]