Y dicen que no vienen los cielos abiertos, que se cuiden las aerolíneas mexicanas !!!
ATW Daily News
Southwest signals intentions for Houston-Mexico City
Aug 15, 2014 Madhu Unnikrishnan
Southwest Airlines is revealing where it plans to fly in Mexico through filings with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) that support—or at least do not object to—another airline’s plans in that country.
But the objection comes with caveats. United Airlines has applied for an exemption that would allow SkyWest, operating as United Express, to fly between Houston and Mexico City. United and its codeshare partner ExpressJet already have authority to fly the route, and United is asking the DOT to substitute SkyWest for ExpressJet.
The US-Mexico bilateral air services agreement stipulates that each country may designate two carriers to serve that route. If the SkyWest exemption is granted, United would continue to hold both slots, operating both mainline and regional partner flights between the two cities.
In its filing with the DOT on Aug. 14, Southwest said it does not object to United’s application “at this time,” because Southwest is not currently seeking to serve that route. But that could change, the Dallas-based carrier said. “Southwest urges the department to put [United and SkyWest] on notice that their authority and corresponding US carrier designations in this market are subject to being rescinded if Southwest were to actively seek competing authority to serve the Houston-MEX market,” Southwest said. Southwest could seek the authority in 2015, before United’s two-year exemption expires.
Southwest said its new international terminal at Houston Hobby Airport should be open by the fourth quarter of next year, at which point the carrier will seek “to offer a broad range of competitive US carrier services from Houston to points in Mexico as well as destinations in the Caribbean and South America.”
Southwest cites longstanding DOT precedent to reallocate limited Mexico route authorities to new entrant carriers. In fact, DOT ruled that United will have to surrender a Houston-Leon route authority, for which it and SkyWest applied for exemptions, should another carrier desire to serve that route. Southwest signaled its intent for future service between Houston and Leon earlier this year.
The US and Mexico have been negotiating the bilateral agreement, first ratified in 1960 and amended in 2005, but an open-skies deal remains elusive. Southwest, among other carriers, has expressed hope that the treaty will be liberalized.
Although Southwest operates international flights it inherited through its merger with AirTran Airways, the carrier launched its first international flights on its own aircraft last month with flights to the Caribbean and began operating flights to Mexico earlier this month.
Southwest begins Mexico service
Aug 13, 2014 Kathryn M. Young
Southwest Airlines has launched daily Orange County/Santa Ana-San Jose del Cabo/Los Cabos, Mexico, and Cancun-Atlanta and -Baltimore/Washington service. Southwest begins Saturday-only Milwaukee-Cancun service Aug. 16.
These routes were previously flown by wholly owned subsidiary AirTran Airways. All current AirTran flights, both international and domestic, will be converted to Southwest services by year end.
AirTran’s daily Orange County/Santa Ana-Mexico City service converts to Southwest Nov. 2.
Aeromexico adds 2X-daily Monterrey, Mexico-Houston and daily Monterrey-Torreon service. Both begin Nov. 3 with 50-seat Embraer 145s.
Sunwing Airlines begins weekly seasonal service from Buffalo, NY: to Cancun Jan. 17-May 9 and to Punta Cana Feb. 14-May 9.
