US Airways Boosts Transatlantic Offering from Charlotte

US major US Airways is to launch new non-stop services between its largest hub at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina and Barcelona, Spain; Brussels, Belgium; Lisbon, Portugal and Manchester, England from spring 2014. The four links from Charlotte will supplement the airline’s current service to these destinations from its international gateway at Philadelphia International Airport.

The new flights are currently scheduled for only the summer season and will operate from late May or early June through to late September or early October. They will all be operated on a daily basis using a mix of single-aisle and widebodied equipment and will add to the carrier’s existing year-round flights to Frankfurt, London, Paris and seasonal services to Dublin, Madrid and Rome, from Charlotte. Lufthansa is the only other carrier to offer transatlantic service from Charlotte with a link to its Bavarian hub in Munich.

“The flights complement service from our international gateway at Philadelphia and give consumers on both sides of the Atlantic more one-stop access to popular points in Europe, the United States and beyond.”

Andrew Nocella
Senior Vice President, Marketing and Planning, US Airways

The links to Barcelona, Lisbon and Manchester will commence on May 22, 2014, while the Brussels flight will start on June 5, 2014 and will bring the number of international destinations US Airways serves from Charlotte to 38 – ten cities in Europe and 28 in Canada, Mexico, Latin America, South America and the Caribbean. The US major now serves 145 airports in 28 countries from Charlotte.

“US Airways continues to expand our Charlotte hub and our presence in Europe by adding flights between Charlotte Douglas International Airport and four popular European destinations to meet peak travel demand,” said Andrew Nocella, senior vice president, marketing and planning, US Airways. “The flights complement service from our international gateway at Philadelphia and give consumers on both sides of the Atlantic more one-stop access to popular points in Europe, the United States and beyond. Our new flights also help to strengthen the foundation for our pending merger with American Airlines by providing more access to a broader network.”

These new services will provide the business community with more convenient access between Europe’s business capitals and North Carolina and will provide local residents with additional access to several of Europe’s major tourist destinations. The major US Airways hub operation at Charlotte will also provide European passengers with new connection opportunities across the US as well as other parts of the Americas. “US Airways has been a big part of the Charlotte community and this expansion will continue to boost Charlotte’s reputation as one of the best cities to live, work, and play in America,” explained Governor Pat McCrory.

In the table below we provide more information on each of the new routes and look at the O&D demand into Charlotte and wider US and Americas markets.

SCHEDULED PASSENGER DEMAND ON US AIRWAYS’ NEW EUROPEAN ROUTES FROM CHARLOTTE DOUGLAS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (bi-directional O&D passengers; 2012)

Destination

Start Date

End Date

Aircraft Type

O&D Demand (Charlotte)

O&D Demand (USA)

O&D Demand (Americas)

Barcelona (BCN)

22 MAY 14

24 OCT 14

A330-200

3,792

748,521

1,887,963

Brussels (BRU)

05 JUN 14

01 SEP 14

B767

3,161

1,081,821

1,546,177

Lisbon (LIS)

22 MAY 14

28 SEP 14

B757

810

313,118

1,152,395

Manchester (MAN)

22 MAY 14

28 SEP 14

B757

7,322

1,350,752

1,737,023

Richard Maslen

Richard Maslen has travelled across the globe to report on developments in the aviation sector as airlines and airports have continued to evolve and…