US AIRWAYS is hoping to launch a Manchester-Philadelphia route by the middle of next year, which would give the airline its fifth daily service between the UK and its three US Eastern Seaboard hub cities.
Acquisition of the carrier’s first seven Airbus A330-300 aircraft next year will release capacity on its smaller Boeing 767s, which will be used to test the potential of services to UKregional airports and other cities in Europe.
From Gatwick, the airline already operates double-daily flights to Philadelphia, begins a daily service to Charlotte in North Carolina on June 13, and is seeking permission to operate a UK route to Pittsburgh – its biggest hub.
Mark Schwab, vice-president international, said: “US Airways has transformed itself in the last three years since its failed relationship with British Airways. The proposed partnership had been key to keeping the US airline operating, but the arrangement in its current form was not taking US Airways forward.”
The airline, then USAir, entered into an investment alliance with BA in January 1993 to form a joint major codeshare marketing partnership. But they split in March 1997 when the US carrier underwent its name change and challenged for its own route authority into Heathrow – and shortly after BA and American Airlines unveiled their alliance plans.
This year it will compete with BA on the London route to Philadelphia, Charlotte and later, it hopes, to Pittsburgh. Schwab said: “We still want rights into Heathrow but are currently increasing our traffic base from our three main hubs. Some 70% of transatlantic passengers are connecting in the East Coast so we have the motive to capitalise on expansion.
“My aim is to have double-daily service from London to both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, daily flights to Charlotte and Boston, and a new service between Manchester and Philadelphia. We also see Philadelphia as an alternative to New York which we want to compete with on price.”
Schwab said US Airways had no intention of hastily entering into another airline partnership despite the current level of activity.
He said: “We have stated we will not be joining any alliance until the right relationship comes at the right time for us. We are more likely to operate by ourselves, despite entering into a frequent flyer marketing relationship with American last September.”