No plans for new US - Croatia flights


There is currently no interest from airlines to introduce new services between the United States and Croatia after American Airlines announced earlier this year it was terminating its seasonal flights between Philadelphia and Dubrovnik after one season. Despite the success of the summer flights, the route was discontinued due to the coronavirus pandemic and an expected lack of demand for overseas leisure travel in the coming years from the US market. Last year’s service launch marked the resumption of scheduled nonstop flights between the United Stated and Croatia after more than 25 years. American carried 17.782 passengers during its four-month run to Dubrovnik, with an average cabin load factor of 83%.

Speaking to the “Dubrovnik Times”, the head of the Croatian National Tourist Office in New York, Ina Rodin, said, “We were very disappointed to find out that American Airlines had cancelled their seasonal direct flights from Philadelphia to Dubrovnik this year and for 2021. Airline companies were hit hard by the Covid-19 crisis, and in spite of government aid, their recovery will be long and difficult. As per my knowledge, at the moment, there is no interest from US carriers in direct flights from the States to Croatia. In my opinion, the initiative, as well as government support and subsidies, should come from us once things go back to normal. In the meantime, we should build and maintain good air connectivity with major European hubs to which Americans can fly to and catch a connecting flight to Croatia”.

After Covid-19 disrupted air travel across the world earlier this year, American Airlines initially scheduled the resumption of its Philadelphia to Dubrovnik service for June 2021 with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, before shelving the route. The company’s Vice President of Network Planning, Brian Znotins, said, “A flight such as the one from Philadelphia to Dubrovnik saw a huge increase in traffic in recent years. Airlines ramped up flights to those types of destinations partially because traditional launching point airports in Europe and Asia were full. Until traffic recovers, international travellers will likely have to make a stop in London, Madrid, Rome or Milan before continuing on to Dubrovnik”. Last May, the Croatian Minister for Tourism at the time, Gari Cappelli, said that nonstop services between the United States and Zagreb would likely commence during the 2020 summer season, noting the flights would most likely be seasonal from New York during their first year of operation, while year-round services could commence as early as the second year.

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:03

    Unfortunately this was too be expected. Long haul leisure traffic won't recover for some time

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:27

      This is true. Americans will most likely be heading to the Caribbean in even greater numbers the next few years.

      Delete
    2. Biigest airlines in the world American airlines layoffs 25000 employees about 10000 flying route.because it is not profitable.not only American. Delta SLC.United.traffic won't recovery for some time.Croatia is to poor and American citizen have no interest travel to Eu.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:03

    "In my opinion, the initiative, as well as government support and subsidies"
    We are not paying subsidies for the most of airlines in DBV, SPU or ZAG so i dont understand at all why we should bay subsidies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:04

      *pay subsidies for long haul flights

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:05

      Sometimes investing some money pays off. The American Airlines flights certainly did.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:13

      It just shows that it was done in the past with KE, EK, AA, Canadian companies etc.

      Delete
    4. American did not have any subsidies (exempt discount like any new airline in DBV). Information was presented to me personally by Dubrovnik Airport CEO.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:42

      There were no subsidies for these airlines. Just udruzeno oglasavanje which was used for commercial pourpouses.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:46

      And what is udruzeno oglasavanje if not a subsidy?

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:47

      @Purger

      In 2019 an American airline (they didn't name it but it is obvious which one) received funds from Udruzeno oglasavanje which is a subsidy.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous11:26

      Anon 10:46
      I you really dont know "local" language, try to translate "udruzeno oglasavanje" on google translate.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous11:29

      You can play games all you want but it is used for companies to apply to get funds from tourist organisation. i.e the government.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous11:38

      So do you have a some source maybe to prove what are you saying?

      Delete
    11. Anonymous13:44

      What exactly is there to prove? Udruženo oglašavanje means that Croatia pays out a certain sum directly to the airline, ostensibly for advertising purposes but without any real follow-up on how the money is spent. When the state gives money directly to an airline, that's subsidising it.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous14:04

      Thats not called subsidising. That is called paying for the joint advertising between HTZ and " other side" which can be touroperator, airline, bus comoany. Literally anything which has a connection with tourism in Croatia. Even you if you have some hotel, apartment or bus comoany in croatia, can ask them for this. We are definitly not subsiding hotels or slovak touroperators. And again i will say the same thing, this is not a subsidy, this is just a joint advertising.

      Delete
    13. Anonymous17:22

      Udruzeno oglasavanje fund gave the money to all wide body airlines flying to Croatia

      Delete
    14. Anonymous04:18

      So just because Purger supposedly saw some document we are supposed to blindly believe it? Ok.

      Delete
    15. Anonymous08:55

      And so just because some anonymus from his belifes thinks there are subsidies we should belive him? I still think that Purger is far more accurate.

      Delete
  3. Marko09:05

    I mean I understand, it's the cause of COVID. But I think that US-Croatia routes have much more potential, especially where there is lots of Balkan Diaspora. People could connect through Croatia and have less travel time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:00

      People use JU to connect across the Balkans as it covers pretty much most of the key points and flies to the US too.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:09

    Flights between Zagreb and the US should have been established long ago.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:12

      ZAG was not introduced in the best times for aviation as US carriers estimated it won't be profitable for them. Instead of it only DBV was introduced directly from USA and we see now that even that route has been indefinitely cancelled.
      There is no point talking about direct flights from USA to ZAG at all at least in next 2 years

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:15

      Circumstances change, as can be seen now.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:15

      It won't change for the better any time soon.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:19

      Even without corona we would not have seen the ZAG-NYC flights start this summer like Capelli was announcing.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:46

      The same with China. Let's not forget how often it was mentioned that ZAG will get China ("just round the corner"!) flights and nothing. There were even rumours that Ali Baba wanted to open some warehouse in ZAD so that this airport will get direct China flights.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:47

      I'll just remind you that Zagreb would have had Air Asia X charters from Bangkok this year if it were not for corona.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:06

      I would be more happy if they tried to attract a LCC to base an aircraft. Having flights to New York is nice but the benefits of having an established LCC serving several cities out of ZAG outweigh a few flights per season to New York.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous10:07

      Thailand is not China

      Delete
    9. Anonymous10:38

      Former OU CEO Kucko once said that Croatia doesn't need direct flights to NY because they already have so many options to NY and elsewhere in the US with 1-stop connections over Europe...

      Delete
    10. Anonymous11:00

      @9.19
      Capelli knows about flights as much as he knows about space travel.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous11:08

      Again with this obsession with Zagreb-New York flights? How many years has it been now.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous16:46

      I don't think anyone is obsessing about them.

      Delete
    13. Anonymous17:23

      None out of Croatia

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:10

    I was hoping United would announce Croatia the other day when they revealed their new international routes for 2021 but unfortunately nothing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:10

      That is where timely subsidies would have helped.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:10

    This is really unfortunate and a big loss for Dubrovnik

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:28

      It's unfortunate because these were the most lucrative customers for Dubrovnik.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:45

      Great source of income from the city. These passengers were high spenders.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:10

    It will take many years for Aviation to recover to pre-covid levels. In the near future there will be a lot less choice, and fewer frequencies.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous09:11

    Shame :(

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous09:12

    Like with the global financial crisis, this downturn will last for years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:32

      Most now predict the recovery will be fast and V shaped.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:34

      Not in the aviation industry it won't.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:44

      I don't think it will be all doom and gloom as people predict. Life is starting to return to some kind of normal and eventually aviation will too.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:14

    Expected

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous09:16

    At the same time we see that JFK from BEG is one of the best routes these days.

    It just proves once again that the airports from the coast and from the continent could not be compared as their nature is totally different.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:29

      JFK route is one of the best because of current situation where US and EU have closed borders so most of the flights between two countries were cannceled while Serbia is still open for the US and JU can easlity take all of transfer pax out of N. Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania.... it has nothing to do with a coast.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous17:26

      It has very much to do with the coast as continental airport have different type of demand compating to coastal ones. This situation is the best proof for that.

      And from the same reason (closed borders) JU could not fly to EU during April and May and OU did it.
      Somewhere you gain, somewhere you lose

      Delete
    3. Anonymous18:26

      Exactly, and that is why anon 9.16 said those airports should not be compared with each other... But let's not miss a chance to decrease a success of AirSerbia!

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:18

    I really do hope Ms. Rodin will make those back at HQ in Zagreb understand that they will have to provide some kind of support for these sort of flights to start/resume.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:24

      It is a question of wheather the state will have enough money or be able to justify to citizens funding these flights.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:26

      They were funded up until now and no one complained.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:40

      TBH no one complained because the process was not transparent at all. I'm sure 98% of Croatian citizens have no idea their taxes have been funding the arrival of long-haul flights to Croatia for years.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:35

      Give us a source for what are you saying.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous13:53

      You have plenty of this website alone, I won't do your investigative work for you. Check out statements by Emirates' executives for one, it was widely reported here.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous16:36

      "Widely reported here".

      It was just one article in which in one sentence an Emirates executive said they received support for the flights, not even mentioning what kind of support it received. And the article didn't even focus on that. You just took it completely out of context.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous16:36

      You know, in 2019. there were 5 airlines operating long haul to croatia, not only one (Emirates).

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:20

    This really sucks. American was considering starting Chicago-Dubrovnik in 2021 before this pandemic happened :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:30

      Yep
      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2019/08/chicago-dubrovnik-service-possible-in.html

      Delete
  14. Anonymous09:22

    Shocking how things have changed so quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous09:22

    This is an understandable decision. With a global recession looming, many people will think twice before spending an expensive vacation abroad, especially those from the US.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:29

      But we are not just taking about Dubrovnik here. We are also talking about Zagreb.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous09:31

    I fear we will have the same outcome for Korea- Croatia flights. Let's wait and see

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:56

      They cancelled Budapest and Zurich until next year too. I'm sure Zagreb will be back along with those two in 2021.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:33

      What I don't like is that they launched Budapest. I'm not sure flying both cities in such short proximity will work out. But like anon 9.31 says, let's wait and see.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous09:33

    Having the world's largest airline fly to DBV was a treat. Even if it was for a short while.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:33

      Hopefully they return one day.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:48

      Fingers crossed.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous09:36

    Instead of paying subsidies to these foreign airlines, the government should have provided support for Croatia Airlines to get a wide body plane and start some long haul flights to Korea and the US. Now we wouldn't depend on foreigners.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:39

      +100

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:39

      There was a plan for something like this decades ago.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:44

      But would that be profitable?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:55

      Maybe not during the first year, but eventually it would.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:00

      With what money would they lease wide-bodies?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:43

      Nobody pays subsidies to these airlines.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:53

      Why would we need a vanity project which is going to require financial support?

      Delete
    8. Anonymous10:55

      Croatian government is unable t to begin tender for domestic PSO flights for over a year now and you expect them to cooperate with Croatia Airlines on something as important as long haul flying?

      Delete
    9. Anonymous16:30

      I just don't think aviation is a priority for them.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous16:32

      *the government I mean.

      Delete
  19. Anonymous09:55

    Depressing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:01

      It is depressing but it is depressing everywhere and not only Croatia.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:30

      Recovery will eventually begin. But definitely don't expect TATL flights any time soon.

      Delete
  20. Since we are talking about popular tourist destinations, American, Delta and united are resuming in early April and May their flights to Athens. I really don't understand why not to Dubrovnik? What is going on since American had good results there?!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:59

      Athens, on top of being a capital city of a country of almost 11 million people serves not just American tourists but the huge Greek diaspora in the United States. Dubrovnik flights catered almost exclusively to American tourists.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:29

      I love Dubrovnik but in this case I really don't think Athens and Dubrovnik can be compared.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous04:20

      Not only that, ATH saw multiple daily flights to the US on large aircraft. DBV managed to pull of a summer seasonal on a relatively small aircraft that didn't even operate daily.

      Delete
  21. Anonymous10:37

    Zagreb Airport offers quite good support for new routes so it is worth a try at least seasonally from the US for the beginning.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:43

      In 2010, Tonci Peovic ex-ZAG CEO offered the following to airlines to start Zagreb-New York

      - Airport will purchase a certain number of seats on each flight in order entice the airline to initiate the flights.
      -The airline will be exempt from paying landing and handling fees in the first year, with the fees progressively introduced within the next five years.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:29

      An airport buying seats on a transatlantic flight? Seriously?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:48

      The second point is normal at most airports and I believe Zagreb Airport has something like that at the moment.

      Delete
  22. Anonymous11:09

    The Balkan obsession with the transatlantic flights to North America will be alive and well even after corona.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:30

      +100

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:28

      It's not an obsession. It's missed opportunity so far.

      Delete
  23. Anonymous11:42

    It will take AA time to recover but DBV will most likely be replaced by another US carrier such as DL or UA.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:52

      United and Delta are in the same situation as American

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:28

      True but AA seems to be the worst affected of the three.

      Delete
  24. Anonymous11:53

    The representative from the tourist board is right

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:27

      That they should subsidize the arrival of an American airline?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:47

      Yes this is completely normal. For example do you think Wizz Air is paying the airports for all the new routes it launched in the last month or so?

      Delete
  25. Anonymous12:19

    Poor DBV. It just started picking up with higher quality, US tourists that also would pay more and pour their money in Croatia and then comes this stupid virus and ruins it all. DBV upgraded its terminal, serves very good, high-class and respectable airlines in summer. Hopefully, this will be restored slowly within an year or two.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:27

      +1

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:43

      It's unfortunate. Qatar Airways was also supposed to launch flights to Dubrovnik this year but they have been cancelled and have not been scheduled any time in the future.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous02:50

      ...good, high-class and respectable airlines...

      Forgot your favorite word: prestige. As in: my hometown airport is not the busiest but in my mind it has prestige.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous04:57

      Of course it does have prestige. DBV is not even a capital city yet enjoys a high reputation and well known for Americans, South Koreans, Singaporeans, Canadians and so on. The fact that such a small city attracts the likes of millions is remarkable. DBV will recover it's splendour.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous05:58

      Those millions don't count unless they arrived on a high-class, respectable and prestigious airline? Illusion of grandeur.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:00

      ...good, high-class and respectable airlines...

      The last thing that comes on my mind are Americans 767 without IFE in every class.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous22:04

      Tell that to AŠP.

      Delete
  26. Anonymous16:27

    This was to be expected. I didn't think there would be US flights anytime soon.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous22:17

    Bravo Hrvatska!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous04:23

    Unfortunately this was expected, these US flights always seemed a bit forced and far-fetched. Best of luck to DBV though, they'll need a few years to recover and the fight starts from spring 2021 when all countries will fight for tourists in order to boost their economies.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous19:53

    I was in Croatia back when Croatia was in the World Cup against France. I am an American...and was biking the coast line with a friend not so long ago. It was beautiful. I would love to go back...and plan to at some point when things open up. I flew into Venice...so there are other ways into the Country besides direct flights. Porec was Amazing. Can't wait to explore more of the Country further south! Hang in there. Us Americans...the regular people...love your Country! :)

    ReplyDelete

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