Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC
Trans World Airlines (TWA) has selected American Eagle to provide a feeder service at Los Angeles International (LAX) as it finalises plans to expand operations at the Californian city.
From 1 October, TWA will add its code to American Eagle regional services between LAX and seven California destinations, using Saab 340s.
Under its "focus city" initiative, TWA has been expanding services at Los Angeles since May, when it began non-stop flights between LAX and Kona, Hawaii. A non-stop service to San Juan was added last November, when the Puerto Rican capital was established as TWA's first focus city.
This month, the airline increased the number of transcontinental non-stops between LAX and New York Kennedy from three to four a day, and it plans to add a fifth daily round trip later this year. TWA hopes the increased frequency will attract more business travellers to the route.
On 10 September, the airline plans to begin a daily service between LAX and Washington National. This non-stop service will be exclusive to TWA and will be augmented by seven daily flights between LAX and National via the airline's St Louis, Missouri, hub. TWA was awarded the only service to LAX when the US Department of Transportation allocated six additional slots at Washington National earlier this month.
By early September, the airline says, it will have increased service at LAX by 70% year-on-year. The new services will use Boeing 757s and 767s. Capacity will be made available by redeploying aircraft from other markets.
TWA has already announced that services from Cincinatti, Ohio, and Shreveport, Louisiana, to St Louis will be transferred to regional jets, freeing up mainline aircraft. Other routes will be transferred over the next two years as Trans World Express carrier Chautauqua Airlines takes delivery of 30 Embraer ERJ-145 regional jets on order. The first aircraft arrives in August, TWA says.
Source: Flight International
