As you guys know, I'm a huge fan of seeking out routes that others may find to be a bit unusual. For example, looking at New York JFK alone, I'd say my three most "unusual" flights out of the airport have been on AZAL Azerbaijan to Baku, on Uzbekistan Airways to Tashkent, and on Pakistan…
Continue reading: Azerbaijan Airlines Maintaining New York Flights
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Too late for UA. Ethiopian Airlines Launches a new service from JFK. This is in addition to the Newark flight.
Well, One airlines loss another airlines gain.
after all , the New York market is not as bad as it seems,
I took this flight round trip in business class in February of 2016 and found it excellent, other than the IFE which was almost non-existent. The meal service consisted of a seemingly endless offering of small plates and the service itself was professional if a bit distant (the FAs spoke passable English but there was clearly a language barrier). Both of the flights I was on appeared full in coach, and about half-full in business. But the coach fares were also very low so the load factor is hardly an indicator of whether the flight was financially viable. Business was about $2500 r/t which was reasonable for a 12-hour flight and MUCH less than any connecting service such as LH. The new airport in Baku is very impressive and generally easy to navigate, and the city itself is fascinating with great food and great history. So it's too bad we're losing this direct connection to such an interesting and important part of the world.
"As is the case with many airlines operating to New York, the route just seems to have not been as profitable as the airline had hoped".
-Yeah, no. NY is the most lucrative O&D market in the US and among the top in the world, in spite of challenging airports, airspace, and operations. All that being said, airlines aren't lining up to pull out of the NY market, unless they are vanity routes, and this one likely fit the bill. 2 x week service means less business traffic and it's likely TK and LH probably have that sector of the market covered. The rest is VFR and the 5AM departure from Baku can't be good. The traffic was likely just not there, beyond VFR.
Is it me or does their business class hard product look almost exactly like Turkish Airlines business class 777 ?
If PIA had a great product, then I know they would be able to make New York work. Manchester also has a big Pakistani population. The fact that people kept flying them so long with such a dated product means something. Imagine how much they could grow by just having a decent product, let alone world class. People value nonstops and less travel time, especially for Pakistanis coming from America (which takes at least 18 hours with a stop).
You don’t have to say “in my opinion”. You’re writing the article. It’s also a blog. We understand and it is implied it’s your opinion.
@Ric - the seat is actually fairly common, used by (Azal and) eg TK, LO, CA, AI. I love that seat and TKs finishes are the best.
@K - There is a possibility he could be using someone else’s opinion, in which case, it helps to clarify whose opinion it actually is.
I need to fly to Baku in October. What other airlines fly this route non-stop?
The departure on both ends could be better. 0500 is bad. They should leave like at 0200 or so like Emirates does out of DXB. Or instead have a flight leaving Baku at 1500 and arriving at JFK at 1900. A night departure out of JFK would be better.
I am not overly surprised here. I was in Baku in June and there was a delegation from the US State department visiting and staying at the JW Marriott. I overheard a lot of their conversations. Much around promoting Azerbaijan as a tourist destination and trying to increase trade (think oil) and improving other relationships w/ the country. Not overly surprised since there's an empty Trump Tower sitting finished, but under scaffolding in Baku