English
Rates will be lower than the traditional, but not low-cost
Copa asserts that there is space to compete, because their market is different
New regional airlines will compete for the flights in Central America in the second half of the year, from the Juan Santamaria International Airport, which will stir the competition. Air Panama plans to start flights on 1 July, with a daily frequency of the Juan Santamaria to Panama, the spokesperson confirmed Maru Gálvez. Meanwhile, Air Costa Rica step phase four in the process of permits and license of flights. Alvaro Vargas, director general of Civil Aviation, explained that in about two months would be ending the process. The general manager of Air Costa Rica, Carlos Viquez, expressed that they hope to open routes of Costa Rica to Panama, Guatemala and Managua, in the region, in addition to Miami, in the United States. Both Air Panama Costa Rica as Air fares are intended to have a little cheaper than the traditional airlines, but nor will be, they said, the low-cost segment. These new services are joined to the opened Flights to Central American Economic (Veca), last February, between the Juan Santamaría and El Salvador, with three weekly flights. This company said that it would compete with the modality of low cost.
The three companies will vie for the sky with the traditional intra-cup and Avianca. Copa reported yesterday that offers 15 daily flights from Costa Rica in Central America. Of them, nine are to Panama, two to Managua, two in Guatemala to Honduras and two (one to another to Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula). In a visit to Costa Rica, the commercial director of Copa, Adolfo Sen, commented on the opening of a direct flight to New Orleans, United States, from Panama, from June 24. Different market. Sen felt that competition in the central American market is not new and that companies are looking for a different scenario to the Cup. Assured that the journey of Copa pays for a service with aggregated values, between them, the large number of connections in a short time. Gálvez explained that, according to the trend of the market, both the passenger business and vacation, is by selecting your travel option by airlines that offer good prices and good service. Detailed that are pointing to the recreational tourism, leisure, business and ethnic. According to Viquez, Air Costa Rica aims to compete with on-board services, attention to the passenger, the warmth of the Costa Rican, hot food and open bar in the plane; i.e. rescue what 30 years ago was Costa Rican airlines S.A. (Lacsa). Prices, he said, can be a bit lower, but not low-cost.
