Meetings are what sets World Routes apart – both in quality and quantity – and this year was particularly busy for airline, airport and tourism delegates thanks to many more types of meetings at the event.
This included pre-scheduled 50-minute strategic meetings on Hosted Networking Stands, which facillitated in-depth and detailed discussions in a private setting.
Plus, Airline Meeting Chalets were moved to the centre of the Networking Village, putting them at the heart of the action. The positive reaction from airlines to this move was evident in companies sending larger and more senior delegations from departments such as network planning, procurement and revenue management.
Major announcements
A number of major announcements came through at World Routes 2010, including British Columbia’s premier, Gordon Campbell, announcing at the Welcome Reception that he plans to eliminate jet fuel tax in order to boost air service development in the province.
Larry Berg, CEO of Vancouver Airport Authority, told Routes News that eliminating the tax of two cents per litre for international flights, along with the authority’s decision to freeze all international airline charges at 2010 levels for the next five years, would cement Vancouver’s position as a gateway to Asia-Pacific and make it more competitive with other west coast airports.
The event proved the perfect place for airlines either to announce or communicate new routes. Air service announcements over the three days included:
• US Airways’ daily seasonal service from Charlotte to Madrid and Dublin starting in summer 2011.
• AirAsia X’s three times weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo Haneda in December.
• Vietnam Airlines’ new charter service between Adelaide and Ho Chi Minh City in November and December.
• Air France’s three times weekly service to Orlando and five times weekly flights to Lima, Peru, starting in June 2011.
• Air Canada’s decision to increase international capacity at YVR by 15% with daily service to Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong.
• British Airway’s new five-times weekly service to Tokyo Haneda from February and direct flights to Buenos Aires from March.
• Allegiant’s new service between Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport (YNG) in Ohio and St Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) in Tampa Bay, Florida, beginning in November.
This article is featured in Routes News 2010 Issue 6
