THE Fiji Airlines expressed the desire to operate flights to South America in the near future. According to the company’s CEO, Argentina and Brazil are two countries that are attracting the company’s attention due to the business opportunity.
All the speculation arose during an interview with Fiji Airways CEO Andre Vijoen on Australian news portal Latte Luxury News. At first, the exclusive was to talk about the company’s plans for the acquisition of new Airbus A350 models.
According to the executive, the main idea of the company is to expand its activities in the United States, where it operates only in San Francisco. Among the cities that can receive flights from the company are Dallas, Chicago or Houston
Asked about entering new markets, Vijoen has so far ruled out flights to New York – due to the A350’s range capability – but expressed interest in operating to the Latin America. According to the executive, the operations are still uncertain, but the company is already thinking about it. This is because operating a flight to Brazil or Argentina”equivalent to operating a flight to Vancouver“.
Since November, Fiji Airways has been operating direct flights of around 10:30 a.m. to the Canadian city, which could be a good sign for South America. “There is nothing certain, but we agree that it would be a great opportunity”concluded the CEO.
Flights from South America to Oceania and the Asia/Pacific region
Currently, Brazil and Argentina do not have airlines that operate direct flights to the Asia/Pacific and Oceania region. The only flight between South America and Oceania is the LATAM flight to Australia from Chile. Other ways to reach the regions of East Asia or Oceania are flights with a stopover in North America, the Middle East or Europe.
Therefore, the arrival of Fiji Airways not only represents a direct connection between Brazil (or Argentina) and the Pacific Islands, but also another flight option for other travelers to South America.
Issuance of flights with miles
Fiji Airways is part of oneworld, an airline alliance that includes American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Qatar Airways and others. This means that, if the airline does start operating here, it may be possible to issue flights to Fiji using AAdvantage miles or other alliance-owned airline programs.
It should be remembered that the Fiji Airlines has a different partnership model. It was the first airline of the “oneworld connect” model, which requires at least three oneworld members as “sponsors”. In the case of Fiji Airways, the four founding companies of the alliance are sponsors: American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas. For more details on the partnership between Fiji Airways and oneworld, read this Publish: “Fiji Airways Oneworld Membership Details as Connect! “.
Will we soon see the airline here?
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