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On 9/11/2002 10
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17 AM JFK777 wrote:
MAH4546,
MIA would offer rich connections all over the Caribean and Northern Latin America for an Asian airline. Look at SWISS, by serving Miami they pickmup passengers from all over the region. Your previous observation about MIA being a goldmine for SWISS has a large part to do with connections.
BOS & PHL may be larger but they are also close to 2 other cities served by all the previous Asian airlines. Washington DC and New York. Philadelphia is well served to Asia out of Newark, CAL flies to both HKG(nonstop) and NRT(nonstop and connections on NWA) & SIA flies via AMS 4x weekly. IAD has been served by ANA since 1986. JFK is the biggest destination for these Asian airlines, JFK has 5 airlines with service to NRT( ANA, JAL, AA, UA, & Northworst)plus Cathay, SIA and every other airline from a country with a 747. BOS needs a flight to NRT, but given its geographc position it has to fly on O&D tarffic only, that right now seems a long shot.
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I agree with most of your points, though I don't see what IAD (which also has KE service, BTW) has to do with anything. IAD is not that close to PHL to consider it an alternate airport. EWR is, though, and that is also why PHL lacks in European service (just AF, 2xBA, LH, 7xUS) despite its size.
As for Asian service to MIA. Give it time. I think it will happen in the future. 3-4 years is a good time frame. There is room for one Asian carrier in Miami (maybe two, but that is it), with NRT, TPE, and ICN being the most viable gateways (if not the only viable gateways). Possibilities:
JAL-A 744 service, 3x a week to start, could connect to the whole AA Latin/Caribean network nicely.
ANA-ANA was rumoured to be looking at MIA as a launch destination for thier A340. As we all know, they never did takeup that A340 order. A service similar to JAL's could work, though ANA has less feed, since they are with Star.
Singapore Airlines-Any Singapore Airlines service to MIA would be via Europe. Madrid offers a great option, as it could connect Madrid to Star's Latin network. Just like the SQ flights to ORD, JFK, and EWR, most of the traffic would be going between MIA and a European point, not going onto SIN. However, I don't see SQ serving MIA before they serve IAD (before they decided on LAS, though, IAD and MIA were also in the running for SIA service).
Korean Air-This is, IMO, the most likely carrier, for the sole reason that they have shown the most interest to MIA airport authorities, including possibly doing a continutation leg to GRU or as a continuation of the DFW flight. 4x a week 744, I could see KE doing it when the economy gets better and if MIA pushes hard enough for them to try. Extremely limited feed, though, with only some AeroMexico flights and Delta Connection to Orlando and Tallahasse.
Emirates-Not the Orient, but Asia none the less, MIA is one Emirates short list for US service. Though LAX, ORD, and JFK are coming first. Than IAD, IAH, and SFO. MIA and BOS last. That is assuming EK's US launch goes perfect.
American Airlines- MIA-NRT is supposedly stretching the limits of thier 772ERs, but I don't know that for sure. If they expand in Tokyo even further than they have, it's possible, but I don't see it happening.
Varig, LanChile- Varig rumours are still going around that when if get approval for the 3 extra slots, they will do MIA-NRT, still nothing comfired. If LanChile also extends it's reach to Asia, a NRT service with 340s routed through MIA is the most logical choice, making use of the oneWorld connections and LanChile's very, very loyal customer base at MIA, where they fly to eight destinations in seven countries.