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Old Posted Jun 10, 2021, 2:55 PM
satx23 satx23 is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2021
Posts: 39
Quote:
Originally Posted by cole world11 View Post
Did mainline service ever commence? I take a look at my flight radar app at least once a day and notice Aeromexico still uses the E190 as their equipment for all three nonstops to MEX.
Quote:
With FAA downgrade, Mexican airlines can't add flights out of San Antonio
Randy Diamond, Staff writer
June 9, 2021
Updated: June 9, 2021 2:35 p.m.


Mexican airlines have been adding service at San Antonio International Airport at a rapid pace due to unprecedented passenger demand, but a Federal Aviation Administration ruling has slammed the brakes on future expansion.

The May 25 ruling downgrades Mexico’s aviation safety rating and bars Mexican airlines from increasing the number of flights or adding service between the two countries.

The FAA said Mexico fails to meet international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations body that oversees global air travel.


The FAA did not look at specific Mexican airlines in its safety review, only examining the role Mexican aviation regulators play in ensuring air safety in the country.

San Antonio Aviation Director Jesus Saenz Jr. said he’s optimistic that the FAA downgrade is just a temporary obstacle — that the ban on new flights to new Mexican destinations could be rescinded quickly.

“Mexico is a very attractive market for the city of San Antonio,” Saenz said. “We hope the situation gets resolved as soon as possible.”

Saenz said the continued shutdown of the Mexican land border, making flights the only way to get from Mexico to the U.S. for travelers, and falling coronavirus infection rates have helped spur air travel between the two countries.

The ban on new flights comes as the number of passengers traveling to and from Mexico has been booming at San Antonio International. The San Antonio airport saw 74,583 international travelers in April, a 101.5 percent increase from the same month in 2019, nearly a year before the pandemic arrived.

Domestic travel continues to rebound from the COVID-19-induced slump, but it’s still lagging. The number of U.S. passengers was down 24.3 percent at San Antonio International in April from two years ago.




The fallout
Because of strong passenger demand, Aeromexico had planned to replace its 100-seat regional jet this month with a 130-seat Boeing 737 that would fly daily. But the carrier is prohibited by the FAA order from registering new jets in the U.S., so it’s stuck with the smaller plane.

Aeromexico had sold more than 100 seats for the 1:30 p.m. flight on most days last week, anticipating it would fly the larger aircraft. So the airline inadvertently oversold its flights, forcing dozens of travelers to re-book on other flights, according to San Antonio airport personnel aware of the situation.

The employees asked that their names not be used because they were not authorized to speak for Aeromexico.

Delta Air Lines, which owns 49 percent of Aeromexico, said it has been helping the affected Aeromexico passengers at San Antonio International.

“Delta teams in San Antonio are assisting a small number of customers on behalf of our partner Aeromexico with accommodations on other Delta flights to get them to Mexico City or their final destination,” a Delta spokesman said.

Aeromexico also has canceled new service to Mexico City that was scheduled to start on July 1 from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport because it is not allowed under the FAA order.

While Delta owns a large share of Aeromexico, it is also prohibited by the FAA order from selling Aeromexico tickets with Delta’s name on it, a practice known as code-sharing. The FAA order also ended Frontier Airline code-sharing agreement with Volaris.
https://www.expressnews.com/sa-inc/a...d-16236336.php
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