Dubrovnik Airport says it expects for American Airlines to restore its seasonal flights from Philadelphia next year. The comments come after United Airlines recently announced it would launch summer operations from New York’s Newark Airport this July. American introduced flights between Philadelphia and Dubrovnik in 2019, handling 17.782 passengers during its four-month service run to Croatia, with an average cabin load factor of 83%. Frequencies and capacity were to be increased in 2020, however the flights were shelved as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. “We expect for the Philadelphia - Dubrovnik service to be back in 2022. The route connected onto another 100 flights and that is of great importance to us, because it allows for the airline to carry passengers from the entire United States”, Dubrovnik Airport’s Chief Commercial Officer, Ivan Maslač, said.
Mr Maslač noted that Dubrovnik Airport was surprised by United Airlines’ decision to introduce flights from Newark as the airport expected for long haul operations to be the last to recover from the coronacrisis. “We were in talks with the US big three - United, Delta and American Airlines - but due to the ongoing pandemic, we expected for intercontinental operations to be restored later on”, the CCO said. He added, “We met all the conditions for flights to the United States with the introduction of American Airlines‘ service, so it makes sense that Dubrovnik is the first in Croatia to see the resumption of long haul flights”.
Croatia was one of the few European Union member states open to American tourists last year. Furthermore, the country’s decision to reopen for all vaccinated travellers this year is also believed to have influenced United’s decision. In addition, the United States is expected to lift entry visa requirements for Croatian nationals, further aiding nonstop operations between the two countries. “Promotional campaigns by the Dubrovnik region and Dubrovnik’s visibility on the American market also had a positive impact on the airline”, Mr Maslač concluded.
Wow that would be fantastic. United and American both flying to Dubrovnik.
ReplyDeleteNice
ReplyDeleteHow is the situation in DBV these days? Do they have flights? What's May like going to be?
ReplyDeleteWhat DBV needs now is a seasonal EK.
Agree about EK. But Fludubai has cancelled this year's flights.
DeleteDBV right now has regular flights to ZAG , FRA (OU), MUC, FRA (LH), WAW (LO), MAD (IB), VIE (OS) , BCN (Vueling), Riga (Baltic air) and Trade Air (Split and Rijeka). For some of flights more frequencies expected till the end of May and few new routes announced for June.
DeletePOZ, KRK since June.
DeleteWon't AA and UA cannibalize each other?
ReplyDeleteWhy? One flies to Philadelphia, the other to New York.
DeleteDelta and UA will cannibalize each other, DL 4pw JFK and UA 3pw EWR
DeleteIt would be fantastic to have them back. Preferably with the Dreamliner.
ReplyDeleteWell they won't be back with the B767s since they retired them :)
DeleteIt will be the 78 for sure, I doubt that would you the triple, and those are the only 2 WB aicraft AA has.
DeleteDelta will anounce jfk dbv 4pw this year too
ReplyDeleteI doubt it. Too much capacity to New York.
DeleteYou can doubt so much you want. But these are facts and will announce soon ;-)
DeleteI really hope so, it would be great.
DeleteWell done DBV.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best managed airports in ex-Yu without doubt.
ReplyDeleteDubrovnik definitely knows how to do the job! And even more carriers are considered in the future! Really great!
DeleteUnfortunately it has nothing to do with management. It's all thanks to Dubrovnik being hard to reach with other means of transportation. Americans are crazy for Dubrovnik. My uncle used to arrange groups back in late 1980's from US.
DeleteManagement and employees are all there thanks to politics and nepotism. No one has been employed on Dubrovnik Airport without having "veza". Including lowest level personel. I know, I was offered job there, I was fully qualified, even better qualified than my supposed to be boss.
BUT, I depeneded of blessings from HDZ. His words. Luckily I was offered other job at the same time and refused their offer with thanks.
American made a mistake not to resume the Philadelphia route this year.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteCan't wait to see them back in Dubrovnik. This is a huge deal. Biggest airline in the world flying to DBV. Fantastic :)
ReplyDeleteCroatia keeps winning!
ReplyDeleteEspecially Croatia Airlines :) :) :)
DeleteWhat other city from the US could work to Dubrovnik? Other than New York and Philadelphia
ReplyDeleteLAX
DeleteChicago could work well too.
DeleteA year before the pandemic American launched daily 789 flights from ORD to ATH. So I can definitely see them launching DBV or ZAG too.
DeleteThe choice of Philadelphia being their first route to Dubrovnik is quite odd.
ReplyDeletePHL is American Airlines main transatlantic hub.
DeleteI thin that they should have introduce Zagreb flights. In Zagreb they will have much more connections than in Dubrovnik, but I am happy for Dubrovnik anyway. It is good for Croatia in general.
ReplyDeleteHope to see some of US carriers in ZAG during the summer months in near future
Delete^ It will be United
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2021/04/united-eyes-second-destination-in.html
Congratulations to Dubrovnik.
ReplyDeleteI think that next up they should definitely target Canada or South Korea flights. After they secure one destination from each they should look into adding more points in the US.
ReplyDeleteI am confident we will be seeing more long-haul routes to YYZ, NRT and maybe LAX or BOS.
DeleteI hope Dubrovnik can somehow interest Air Transat to launch flights from Toronto.
DeleteDidn't Dubrovnik have JAL charters from Japan? Would be nice to see them back.
DeleteIt did. They even used the B747.
DeleteYes, JAL operated charter flights to Narita, Osaka and Nagoya , mostly August and September.
DeleteRoutes from US to Dubrovnik definitely have potential.
ReplyDeleteWe will see.
DeleteGood luck.
ReplyDeleteVery nice. American's arrival in 2019 triggered United to come.
ReplyDeleteI believe United was triggered by what the CCO says in the article - Croatia being open to US tourists .
DeleteSo, Dubrovnik is aiming for more cities in the US in the future? Wow!
ReplyDeleteWhy not? :)
DeleteGenerally flights from US and Canada should always do well to Croatia. Mix of leisure and diaspora passengers.
ReplyDeleteAre these United flights, as well as the previous American ones receiving some sort of subsidies from the tourist board?
ReplyDeleteHope we see that bird in the pic in Dubrovnik :)
ReplyDeleteSoon I'm hoping American Airlines JFK-ZAG
ReplyDeleteI hope we see AA expand further in the region :)
DeleteCongratulations Dubrovnik and a very good catch with the worlds biggest airlines.
ReplyDeleteI hope we see not only North American Airlines but also a Latin American connection to DBV. LAN Chile or Aerolíneas Argentinas would be great!
ReplyDeleteNot sure how such flights could be profitable as number of Latin American visitors is not so large comparing US or Canada, and most of them use Madrid airport with more flights from to South and Central America airports than any other European hub.
DeleteSomeone mentionne Chicago. Western has confirme flights from Chicago to SJJ this year. we will see if it happens.
ReplyDeleteEastern not Western :D
DeleteDelta needs to start flights from Atlanta. JFK has half of ATL passenger traffic. The business is not serious unless Delta gets in.
ReplyDeleteDelta to Atlanta, American to Philadelphia and Los Angeles, and United to Newark and Chicago, not saying will happen 100 percent, but any of those 5 might happen in future, and relatively soon
DeleteLAX is not a convenient hub for Europe. Improbable.
DeleteToday, May 1, 2021, on the peak of corona, with all closures and all limitations, and with about two thirds of Europe-North America flights cancelled, and with full summer season not begun yet, there are 12 departures from LAX to Istanbul, Munich, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Paris, Amsterdam and London. Normally, it's over 30 daily departures from LAX to Europe. So I would appreciate explanation why is LAX not "convenient hub for Europe" and why potential DBV flights are "improbable"
DeleteJust look at the map. A European interested in Western coastline will fly to LAX and may even transfer there to San Jose, Oakland, San Francisco or Las Vegas. But for most Americans, transfering in LAX for DBV is a detour. Much better to transfer in ORD, DFW, DEN, ATL or in one of the hubs of the Eastern coastline. There is nowhere near so much inbound traffic to DBV as to LAX. And LAX O&D is not sufficient to upkeep flights to DBV.
DeleteI agree most Americans will use ORD, EWR, ATL JFK, DFW, PHL to travel to DBV when and if (re) introduced. However, lot of them from western part could still use LAX to transfer, even with detour, as the case is, for example, with ex-yu passengers transferring to North America detouring via IST. However, I believe LAX can sustain 3 weekly seasonally to DBV even without transfers, only P2P, taking into consideration half of the Hollywood industry spends summer holidays in DBV, and San Diego is "half-croatian" (diaspora)
DeleteNo one is going to cannibalize each other. UAL, AA and DAL are having monopoly over certain parts of the US. People taking flights from JFK, EWR or PHL are not coming just from that region. Most are connecting there to DBV. DAL is controlling majority of SouthEast US, Northwest and Great Lakes area. UAL is major also in Great Lakes area, South TX, Mountain West, California. AA is major in Florida, has a lot of stake in the SOuth East and Great Lakes area as well as New England. So it is irrelevant whether DAL and UAL go from same metro area and the fact that AA is flying from some 80 miles to the south.
ReplyDelete