A couple of weeks ago, American Airlines vaguely announced plans to resume flights to Venezuela, though stopped short of providing details about which route would be introduced, and when. There’s now an update, as the airline has filed with the Department of Transportation (DOT) to request permission to launch this service, so we have more details as to which routes we can expect.
In this post:
American is first US airline to announce Venezuela flights
American has become the first airline from the United States to announce plans to reinstate nonstop regularly scheduled passenger flights to Venezuela. The airline plans to resume daily flights, and based on the DOT filing for exemption authority:
- Venezuela service will initially be operated by Envoy Air, American’s wholly owned regional subsidiary, operating on behalf of American Eagle; so expect flights to be operated by Embraer regional jets
- American intends to launch both the 1,360-mile route from Miami (MIA) to Caracas (CCS), as well as the 1,189-mile route from Miami to Maracaibo (MAR)
Expedited approval is being requested for this application, though no launch date has been planned yet. As it was described in the press release a couple of weeks ago, “the airline remains in close contact with federal authorities, and is ready to commence flights to Venezuela, pending government approval and security assessments.” Flights will provide the opportunity for business, leisure, and humanitarian travelers to move seamlessly between the countries.
The Fort Worth-based carrier expects to announce more details about the service resumption in the coming months. Here’s how American’s Chief Commercial Officer, Nat Pieper, describes this development:
“We have a more than 30-year history connecting Venezolanos to the U.S., and we are ready to renew that incredible relationship. By restarting service to Venezuela, American will offer customers the opportunity to reunite with families and create new business and commerce with the United States.”
American started operating to Venezuela in 1987, and ultimately suspended flights in 2019. For years, the airline was the largest US carrier in the country, and there even used to be an Admirals Club in Caracas.
It’s going to be fascinating to see how this all plays out
This whole Venezuela situation is obviously incredibly polarizing (a vast majority of us agree Maduro is a bad dude, but…), and this is primarily a travel blog, so I don’t think we need to get too deep into that. However, I will make two points, as it impacts air service specifically.
First of all, I’m curious to see if American is actually able to follow through on this service in terms of the security assessment, working with labor unions, etc. I imagine that at least initially, crews would do a same day turn. However, I wouldn’t view this service resumption as a sure bet, as I imagine labor unions will have a lot of concerns.
Second, as an aviation geek, I’m much more intrigued by Venezuela’s airlines returning to the United States. Those gorgeous Conviasa Airbus A340-600s are more than welcome to fly overhead here in Miami anytime, as far as I’m concerned! I’d rather see them here than at their other typical destinations, including Moscow (SVO), Tehran (IKA), etc.!
Heck, I’ll even take one of those ex-American Airlines nearly 40-year-old LASER Airlines MD-80s. That’s the stuff that avgeek dreams are made of!
Bottom line
American Airlines plans to resume flights to Venezuela, making it the first US carrier to announce such plans. The company has now filed with the Department of Transportation, requesting the right to launch flights with Envoy Air aircraft from Miami to both Caracas and Maracaibo.
As of now, the actual timeline for these flights launching remains to be seen. First the airline needs government approval, and then presumably the airline needs some amount of time to make preparations, given that this might be trickier than some other routes.
It’ll be interesting to see if this service actually happens in the coming months, or if this is all overly optimistic…
How do you see American’s service resumption to Venezuela playing out?
AA bailed in 2019 because currency controls trapped billions in local profits they couldn't convert back to USD. This time, now with Venezuelan economy essentially dollarized and tickets sold directly in dollars, that "bolivar trap" is gone which could make return actually sustainable.
I saw a Conviasa A340-600 on the ground in GRU yday, didn’t know they flew there
I assume no complimentary upgrades to First on these flights as Venezuela will probably count as South America in AA's chart (same as Guyana), even though the flights are in the usual Caribbean short-haul config...? Obviously geographically correct but it's not much different than flying to POS...
Honestly!
What a country! You can fly to Caracas, and maybe even El Paso.
Pfft. Why the hell would they want to go there for!?!
There are many Venezuelans in South Florida for one thing and I am sure they would like to see Family that may still reside in the Country. Venezuela has a large population with many now residing in the US. Caracas to the US was a very well traveled route back in the day and there should be some demand. IF security issues can be taken care of I would bet ATL, IAH,NYC will also see service.
Pfft. Bull.
You must be a Troll. I can’t wait to see my mom without having to spend a whole day travelling to get to Maracaibo when it only takes 2.5 hours from Miami.
it is surprising that they only believe there is enough demand to fill large RJs
Start small, gauge demand, then if it exceeds capacity of RJs, go mainline with A319s.
As Ben also pointed out, security concerns could prompt labor unions to intervene, which initially might prevent mainline American Airlines planes and crew from operating these flights.
if it is safe enough to fly there at all, just turn the planes around. Are we supposed to believe that American Eagle employees lives are less valuable than AA mainline?
The Japanese used this tactic during WW2. Send the junior crews in there first and see how it goes.