Ecuadornews:
Kevin Gross was the first passenger to go to the arrival lounge of the José Joaquín de Olmedo airport, at around 11:30 pm on Thursday. There his wife, Ana Cáceres, waited for him, with a sign and a balloon. When they met again, they kissed and merged in a hug.
He was one of the 150 passengers who arrived from Fort Lauderdale (Florida) on the inaugural flight of JetBlue, the third airline that enters to compete on that route.
Tame and Spirit were flying to that city that is located about 40 minutes from Miami, which was traditionally the main gateway for the people of Guayaquil traveling to the United States.
Now, Fort Lauderdale has captured part of that market and with the entry of JetBlue has gone on to exceed the number of frequencies that Miami has, where American Airlines directly flies.
There are 14 frequencies a week to Miami (two daily flights), while Fort Lauderdale already has 18 frequencies with the recent entry of JetBlue, according to data from Tagsa, the airport concessionaire.
That number, however, will be extended in June, as Tame has announced that they will extend the frequencies to a daily flight, which will mean that to that destination there will be 21 frequencies among the three airlines that operate in that US city.
José Joaquín de Olmedo Airport will continue until 2029 within Guayaquil and will have arrangements
Ángel Córdova, manager of Tagsa, points out that Fort Lauderdale is going to be the most important destination in flights. He estimates that if there are 18 frequencies and if each one carries more than 100 passengers, it could be calculated that there are about 2,000 passengers moving weekly. “It’s a very important issue,” says the executive.
The Guayaquil airport has an incentive scheme that includes proportional and temporary discounts of the maximum landing and parking fees, when a new airline arrives or a route is opened.
In the case of JetBlue, as it reaches an open niche, it will have a 75% discount on landing, take-off and parking fees in the first year. In the following years you will have discounts of 50%, 25% and 15%.
An executive of a travel agency indicates that with a greater competition the prices could benefit the passenger, because it indicates that there are weeks where the passage to Fort Lauderdale is much smaller than the flights to Miami.
Seven frequencies add up in route to Fort Lauderdale
Thus, for example, depending on the dates of purchases there are passages that range between $ 350 and $ 550. The values may vary depending on the services that are chosen in the case of the American Spirit and JetBlue, which manage low cost models.
Passengers are also opting for this destination to enter the US for the facilities to have a fast flow in transit, according to travel agents.
Giselle Cortés, director of international airports for JetBlue, points out that the experience of the client traveling to Fort Lauderdale compared to a Miami flight is different. “It provides a fast service, competitive, less congested and since one arrives is an easier experience,” she says and expects to have good occupation on flights. (I)
