10th annual Routes Americas conference to plan new flights in North and South America

The aviation industry will gather in Las Vegas next week (Feb. 14-16) at the 10th annual Routes Americas conference to plan new flights in North and South America.

Routes Americas brings together airlines, airports and tourism authorities to develop new air services. It moves to a new city every year to highlight the diverse aviation markets across the Americas. The Las Vegas event will be the largest to date with 820 delegates taking part in 2,700 meetings.

Nearly half of Las Vegas' 42.9 million annual visitors travel by air and the airport generates $30 billion in local economic impact. The city held more than 21,000 meetings, trade shows and conventions in 2016 which supported 65,000 jobs.

McCarran International Airport and Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) will host Routes Americas 2017. The leading airlines that will attend include American Airlines, Air Canada, Aeromexico, Delta Air Lines, jetBlue, Latam and United Airlines. Around 100 airlines, 260 airports and 40 tourism authorities are expected in total.

The latest issues and challenges facing the aviation industry will be debated at the event's Strategy Summit. The high profile speakers include Brian Hedberg, director of the Office of International Aviation at the U.S. Department of Transport; Roger Dow, president and CEO of U.S. Travel Association; and Peter Cerdá, regional vice president of International Air Transport Association.

This will be the second time that LVCVA and McCarran International Airport have brought a Routes event to the city. Las Vegas gained more than 120 weekly flights with an estimated annual economic impact of $440 million in direct visitor spending in the year after the event.

"The U.S. aviation market is the busiest in the world and it is expected to grow to 904 million passengers a year by 2025," said Steven Small, brand director of Routes.

The conference will be held at ARIA Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, Nev.

American Airlines seeks to serve Tokyo's Haneda Airport from LAX

American Airlines formally submitted an application Monday to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) proposing to operate daily, year-round, nonstop service between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Tokyo's Haneda Airport (HND). Per the U.S.-Japan bilateral agreement, U.S. airlines may only operate a total of four daily round-trip flights at Haneda Airport. Currently that service is provided by Delta Air Lines from Los Angeles and Seattle, Hawaiian Airlines from Honolulu, and United Airlines from San Francisco. American's application seeks to transfer an existing route authority from Seattle, and would provide new service to Haneda from American's hub in Los Angeles.

"With only four authorized daily flights for U.S. airlines between Haneda and the United States, it is imperative that American be allowed to compete," said American's President Scott Kirby. "We are the only U.S. global network carrier without the authority to operate our own aircraft at Haneda. American's proposed Los Angeles-Haneda service will increase competition in the Haneda market and make the most of underutilized operating rights by giving millions of consumers and shippers a new, viable travel option to Haneda that they don't have today."

In December, the DOT instituted a carrier-selection proceeding to determine whether current service between Seattle and Haneda should be reallocated to another airline. Citing underutilization of a scarce resource, American seeks a reallocation of the Haneda authority.

American will operate its proposed LAX-HND service with a Boeing 777-200 aircraft. The airline is retrofitting all 47 of its 777-200s to refresh the cabins and enhance the premium experience on international flights. The retrofitted 777-200 features a Business Class with a fully lie-flat seat and walk-up bar.

American Airlines strengthens presence in Asia-Pacific region

American Airlines launched daily nonstop service between Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Hong Kong and Shanghai on Wednesday - reinforcing the company's commitment to expanding and strengthening its presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

"DFW Airport, Mayor Price and I have been advocating for more direct access to Asia, knowing the trans-Pacific market is critical for business across the state,” said Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings.

"These direct routes connect two of the world's most significant economic centers to DFW and will open new avenues of trade and tourism for our region,” said Sean Donohue, CEO of  DFW International Airport

Hong Kong service

The new daily service between DFW and Hong Kong International Airport will be operated with a Boeing 777-300ER, marking the first time American will deploy its flagship aircraft to Asia. The aircraft features a three-class cabin configuration with fully lie-flat seats in First and Business Class, international Wi-Fi, and more customer and cargo capacity than any other aircraft currently in American's fleet.

Shanghai service

The new service between DFW and Shanghai Pudong International Airport will be operated with a Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. American will be retrofitting its entire fleet of 777-200ERs to include fully lie-flat Business Class seats, each with aisle access; new seats in the Main Cabin; in-seat entertainment; and international Wi-Fi capability. The new fully lie-flat Business Class seats on American's 777-200ERs will afford travelers among the largest living space of any 777 Business Class seat offered by any U.S. carrier.

The service to Hong Kong will add a new destination to American's international network, and the service to Shanghai complements American's existing service from Los Angeles International Airport and Chicago O'Hare International Airport.

American Airlines reduces senior leadership by 20 percent

American Airlines announced on Tuesday the third phase of its organization redesign since the company filed for bankruptcy in November.

The multi-phased reorganization is part of the company's commitment to reduce total costs and put the customers' experience at the heart of American's operation. This phase included the elimination of five officer positions. Combined with the previous organizational changes, Tuesday's announcement represents a 20 percent reduction in the company's most senior leadership positions.

“We must get leaner and more streamlined,," said Tom Horton, AMR Corp. chairman and chief executive officer. American Airlines is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AMR. "Our organization redesign purposefully began at the top, and today's changes will further advance the company's restructuring objectives and bring us one step closer to ensuring American has the leanest, most capable and effective leadership team in the industry."

“American is rethinking every aspect of its business - painting a clear picture of the company's team for the new American, designed to work together differently, with greater efficiently, and with an innovative and relentless focus on the customer,” the company said in a press statement on Tuesday. “All employee groups are reducing costs by 20 percent, and will continue throughout the summer.”

The following officers have announced their retirement:

David Brooks has served as American's President - Cargo for almost 16 years, and has been with American for almost 30 years.

Mark DuPont is another veteran of the company. During his 29-year career with American, he has held key leadership positions in Chicago, Orange County, Los Angeles, New York and the Dallas/Fort Worth headquarters office.

Susan Garcia has served as American's Vice President - Information Technology for 10 years, and has been with American for almost 25.

Andrew Watson has served in American's Technology organization for more than 10 years, including his most recent position as American's Vice President - Customer Technology.

In addition, the position of Vice President - Operations Finance and Strategy Planning has been eliminated. Doug Herring, who previously held that position, will be working on special projects through the end of the year.

American Airlines, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection carrier serve 260 airports in more than 50 countries and territories with, on average, more than 3,300 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 900 aircraft.