Cathay Pacific Eyeing More U.S. Service

Cathay Pacific will proceed “to search for new alternatives” within the U.S., Chief Buyer and Business Officer Lavinia Lau instructed AirlineGeeks.

On Thursday, the carrier launched its newest route from Hong Kong to Dallas/Fort Worth. At 8,120 miles, the service is Cathay Pacific’s longest by distance.

“However I believe the quick goal I gave to my staff is [to] be sure that the DFW flight is successful,” Lau mentioned throughout an interview on Wednesday. “And if attainable, step it as much as a each day flight as quickly as attainable as a result of I believe we’d like each day product as a way to obtain all of the connections.”

American served this route until 2020 before pulling out due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, Cathay hopes to feed connections at American’s Dallas/Fort Value hub.

“Dallas, clearly, is an excellent candidate. … [W]e wish to not simply join between Dallas and Hong Kong, but in addition past Dallas to different components of the Americas,” Lau added. “So I believe right here with American Airways as our companion, I believe it’s nice that we are able to use Dallas as a hub in a means additionally to increase our different alternatives.”

A number of oneworld Alliance members have added service to Dallas/Fort Value in recent times, together with Fiji Airways and Iberia.

Extra Service on the Horizon

Regardless of economic slowdowns in the U.S., Lau says demand for Asian locations stays robust. “We proceed to see superb potential within the U.S. market, and naturally, we wish to increase our community as effectively,” she shared.

Along with Dallas/Fort Value, Cathay Pacific serves Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and Boston within the U.S.

“Our U.S. flights had been performing rather well prior to now couple of years with very robust load components. Even at the moment, Easter has simply handed. I believe the flights are nonetheless fairly full,” Lau continued. “And taking a look at summer season bookings, we’re nonetheless seeing very robust demand.”

Cathay Pacific’s A350-1000 enters the gate at Dulles (Photograph: AirlineGeeks | Ben Suskind)

Between 2018 and 2020, the airline additionally served Washington Dulles, together with Seattle, the place service started in 2019. Each these routes have been axed as a result of pandemic.

“On prime of our present community, we again then had Washington and Seattle for a really quick interval. Going ahead … now that we have already got a fairly stable basis in our core U.S. ports, sure. I believe we’ll proceed to search for new alternatives.”

“Past DFW … we’ll even be taking a look at different alternatives throughout the U.S.,” she added.

The ‘White Lotus’ Impact

HBO’s hit present “The White Lotus” aired its newest season final month, which occurred in Thailand. This has prompted some curiosity from U.S. customers, Lau mentioned.

“I believe numerous U.S. folks nonetheless wish to journey someplace for the vacations, and I believe Asia is an excellent alternative. I heard from my staff truly. There’s this HBO sequence ‘The White Lotus,’” she shared. “… So I suppose that may even appeal to extra folks eager to go to Asia, expertise all these scorching locations as effectively.”

Management at United had similar comments concerning the sequence’ influence on journey to Thailand, with the airline not too long ago announcing service to Bangkok.

Ryan based AirlineGeeks.com again in February 2013 and has amassed appreciable expertise within the aviation sector. His work has been featured in a number of publications and information retailers, together with CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Enterprise Insider. Throughout his time within the business, he is labored in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations whereas holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Administration from Arizona State College together with an MBA. Ryan has expertise in a number of aspects of the business from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline business executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks’ proprietor FLYING Media, spearheading protection within the business aviation area.

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