American Airlines to begin flights between Chicago and Moscow
American Airlines, which has added flights to India and China in recent years, was set Monday to launch its first service from the United States to Moscow.
By Agencies |
DALLAS: American Airlines, which has added flights to India and China in recent years, was set Monday to launch its first service from the United States to Moscow, opening a new front in its competition with Delta Air Lines Inc.
The move comes as American and other carriers cut U.S. flights in the face of jet fuel prices that have nearly doubled in the past year.
Even international travel has not been immune to cuts, as American decided last week to end new service between New York's Kennedy Airport and London's Stansted Airport in July.
But American, the largest U.S. carrier, sees in Moscow the chance to benefit indirectly from high oil prices _ the energy-price spiral has spurred economic growth in Russia and raised the spending power of Russians.
American will offer one flight daily each way between Chicago and Moscow, competing with Delta's service from New York and Atlanta. No other U.S. carriers fly directly between the two countries, although foreign carriers such as Russia's Aeroflot do.
American, a unit of Fort Worth-based AMR Corp., will operate the route with Boeing 777 planes that have 16 first-class seats, 37 reclining business-class seats and 194 seats in coach.
Don Casey, American's manager of international planning, declined to say how much American invested in the new route, but said it was not much different than launching service to India in 2005 or China in 2006.
Last month, US Airways Group Inc. announced it would delay new service between Philadelphia and Beijing by one year due to high fuel costs. It estimated fuel to fly the route would cost more than $90 million (euro58 million) per year, nearly double the airline's original estimate.
Casey said American was pushing ahead with Moscow and plans for a second China route, from Chicago to Beijing, next spring despite rising fuel costs.
The move comes as American and other carriers cut U.S. flights in the face of jet fuel prices that have nearly doubled in the past year.
Even international travel has not been immune to cuts, as American decided last week to end new service between New York's Kennedy Airport and London's Stansted Airport in July.
But American, the largest U.S. carrier, sees in Moscow the chance to benefit indirectly from high oil prices _ the energy-price spiral has spurred economic growth in Russia and raised the spending power of Russians.
American will offer one flight daily each way between Chicago and Moscow, competing with Delta's service from New York and Atlanta. No other U.S. carriers fly directly between the two countries, although foreign carriers such as Russia's Aeroflot do.
American, a unit of Fort Worth-based AMR Corp., will operate the route with Boeing 777 planes that have 16 first-class seats, 37 reclining business-class seats and 194 seats in coach.
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Don Casey, American's manager of international planning, declined to say how much American invested in the new route, but said it was not much different than launching service to India in 2005 or China in 2006.
Last month, US Airways Group Inc. announced it would delay new service between Philadelphia and Beijing by one year due to high fuel costs. It estimated fuel to fly the route would cost more than $90 million (euro58 million) per year, nearly double the airline's original estimate.
Casey said American was pushing ahead with Moscow and plans for a second China route, from Chicago to Beijing, next spring despite rising fuel costs.
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