Greetings,

AFA 66 eCommunication - Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Phoenix to Montego Bay Service Begins in December (EAST Metal)

US Airways (NYSE:LCC) today announced new nonstop service to Jamaica, “The Jewel in the Caribbean,” between its Phoenix hub and Montego Bay. This seasonal service is set to begin Dec. 17 and will run through April 12, 2010. The flights will be operated using Airbus A319 aircraft with seating for 12 in First Class and 112 in the main cabin.

Schedule detail is as follows:

Start Date: December 17, 2009
Routing: Montego Bay-Phoenix Flight US1620      
Frequency: Thurs., Fri., Sat., Sun
12:25 pm departure, 4:09 pm arrival

Start Date:  December, 18, 2009
Routing: Phoenix-Montego Bay Flight US1619
Frequency: Fri., Sat.,Sun., Mon.
10:00 a.m. departure 4:53 p.m. arrival  

Montego Bay is the first nonstop Caribbean destination from US Airways’ Phoenix hub. US Airways customers are currently able to fly nonstop to Montego Bay from the airline’s East Coast Philadelphia and Charlotte hubs, as well as Boston.

“US Airways is excited to add nonstop service to Jamaica from our Phoenix hub to our Caribbean portfolio,” said Senior Vice President Marketing and Planning, Andrew Nocella. “This is especially great news for customers in the western U.S., who now have their first one-stop connecting option to Jamaica west of Texas.”

With this announcement, US Airways will give 28 western communities one-stop, same day service to Montego Bay. “The launch of US Airways’ new direct service from Phoenix to Montego Bay, Jamaica allows us to welcome many more visitors from major cities in the western U.S.,” said Edmund Bartlett, minister of tourism for Jamaica. “Tapping directly into these markets is part of our strategy to boost tourism arrivals, and this is vital to achieving that objective. Offering an accessible, convenient, and easy flight with great connections, US Airways will allow more travelers to experience and enjoy the island’s diverse hotels, exciting attractions and unbeatable culture. We welcome this new service to our destination.

Extended Overwater Operations (ETOPS) and Montego Bay Service

With the announcement of the Phoenix to Montego Bay service beginning in December, a common question to AFA Council 66 is why this route is not being flown by west metal or west flight attendants.

The Phoenix to Montego Bay service requires aircraft that are qualified for overwater operations.  The A319 aircraft in the west fleet are not ETOPS qualified to operate on this route.

Among other issues, in order to obtain ETOPS qualifications, there are at least 3 main elements:

1.) The A319 aircraft need to be equipped with slides, rafts and other ETOPS equipment.

2.) The pilots operating the aircraft need to be trained and qualified in A319 extended overwater operations.

3.) The Flight Attendants working these flights need to be trained and qualified in  A319 extended overwater operations.

In order to obtain qualifications to fly this route US Airways would have to spend money on training for pilots, flight attendants and equipment on aircraft which is not an option at this time.

Although the A321 fleet does fly over water on the route to Florida, the aircraft must remain within 160 miles of shore.  The A321 is not qualified for 180 ETOPS at this time. 



mec@afa66.org

www.afa66.org