The relaunched carrier Eastern Airlines is now planning to add Argentina and Bolivia to its long-haul route network. Currently, Eastern Airlines has four destinations in South America but is planning to increase its presence in the region from its hub in Miami. Let’s investigate further.
What do we know about the new routes?
According to Routesonline, Eastern Airlines will connect Miami International Airport (MIA) with Buenos Aires’ Ministro Pistarini International Airport (EZE). The service will have two frequencies on Wednesday and Saturday and is slated to begin on 12 December.
Eastern Airlines will use two aircraft types for this route, the Boeing 767-200ER and the Boeing 767-300ER. The flight between MIA and EZE would be seasonal, between 12 December and 27 March 2021.
Meanwhile, the route to Bolivia will connect Miami with Santa Cruz’s Viru Viru International Airport. Eastern plans to operate the seasonal route between 11 November and 27 March, with two weekly flights, also using the B767-200ER and 300ER aircraft.
If the Bolivian Government approves the route, Eastern would be the only US airline to fly to this South American country. However, it would compete directly with Boliviana de Aviación.
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Is it the right moment to fly to Argentina?
Argentina has been a very restrictive country in the last few months. According to the International Air Travel Association (IATA), passengers cannot enter Argentina until 25 October 2020. But, as we know, we can’t take for granted that date. The Argentinian Government has pushed back the reopening date several times already.
The country’s airlines are already facing enormous pressure. LATAM Argentina ceased operations. Emirates and Air New Zealand have closed their bases in the country, and more could follow. So far, no US airline has ceased its connectivity with Argentina.
In that sense, Eastern Airlines is trying to seize the current connectivity crisis in Argentina. According to Routesonline, the airline plans to “promote important low fare competitive service between the US and Argentina.”
According to Flight Connections, EZE currently has connectivity with five cities across the US: New York, Miami, Atlanta, Houston, and Dallas Fort-Worth. American Airlines flies from New York, Miami, and Dallas; Delta from Atlanta; United from Houston, and Aerolíneas Argentinas flies from New York and Miami.
What else do we know about Eastern Airlines?
Eastern Airlines restarted its operations earlier this year. The original Eastern ceased its flights in 1991, but the brand never truly disappeared. As with Pan Am, Eastern was one of those iconic US carriers that remain in the people’s collective memory.
Meanwhile, in October 2018, Dynamic International Airways, the company that bought Eastern’s brand and logo, rebranded itself after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Therefore, Eastern Airlines took into the skies again and currently has six destinations across America:
- New York
- Miami
- Cabo San Lucas (Mexico)
- Port-au-Prince (Haiti)
- Georgetown (Guyana)
- Guayaquil (Ecuador)
Finally, across the pandemic, Eastern made a few humanitarian flights, connecting with other Latin American countries. For example, it flew to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Panama, Peru, El Salvador, and Suriname to bring back Americans.
Have you traveled with the new Eastern Airlines? How was it? Let us know in the comments.
