The best and worst-priced airports for international flights
Scott’s Cheap Flights site has Philadephia International Airport in ninth place as one of the 10 cheapest places to catch an international flight.
In first place was JFK airport in New York City, an airport. No. 2 was Newark-Liberty, a shorter drive from Delaware.
Long Beach, CA, ranks as the worst jumping-off place for international service.
Philly loses a couple of flights
The Points Guy website had an interesting piece this week on Philadelphia International Airport and American Airlines.
The story reported that American is dropping nonstop from Philadelphia to Des Moines and Omaha.
Big deal, you might say. However, the writer notes that PHL’s focus has been on Transatlantic flights that are fed from the hinterlands.
The pandemic blew a hole in international revenue, with American deciding to focus more of its international efforts on Dallas, Chicago, and Charlotte.
The writer goes on to state that PHL is an American hub without a clear strategy. American would deny that claim, citing its thousands of employees and a couple of hundred daily flights out of the city.
Still, the news will raise fears that flight reductions after the merger of USAirways and American are resuming. That would not be good news for business travelers or the regional economy.
Southwest has the connections
Southwest Airlines has quietly added options to smaller cities for business and leisure travelers from Philadelphia International if you don’t mind changing planes.
While Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Aiport is a focus city for Southwest with far more nonstops, the carrier has dropped a number of long-distance nonstops to West Coast destinations from BWI.
That makes PHL a good option for some travelers.
With business travel down dramatically in 2020, Southwest added nearly a dozen and half new destinations ranging from Palm Springs to Colorado Springs and even Bozeman, MT (near Yellowstone). Most can be reached via a Southwest connecting flight from PHL.
A decade ago, Southwest pulled back from a major expansion from Philadelphia that included flights to New England and Pittsburgh, following a fierce response from USAirways, now American. It still avoids going head to head with American on nonstops to popular destinations like Las Vegas.
Based on 2019 figures, Southweset is still the second-largest carrier out of PHL, with Frontier close behind. That only amounts to a 6% market share with American at nearly 70. Frontier serves two-dozen cities from Philadelphia, usually with flights operating a few times a week.
Exceptions to the nondaily flight strategy from PHL are Denver and Orlando. Frontier has three-day-a-week service from New Castle Airport to Orlando.
Air Senegal to fly into BWI Marshall
Air Senegal will launch a one-stop service between Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Dakar on Sept. 2.
The airline – which serves as the national flag carrier for the Republic of Senegal – will operate two roundtrip flights per week to Blaise Diagne International Airport, with a stop at New York John F. Kennedy International Airport.
“We welcome this new Air Senegal service, which will foster tourism and trade opportunities between Maryland and Senegal,” said Ricky Smith, executive director of BWI Marshall Airport. “Air Senegal will offer easy access and efficient service to West Africa for many travelers throughout our National Capital region.”
The new service will be operated by Hi Fly Malta on Thursdays and Sundays with an Airbus A330-900neo aircraft. Air Senegal is currently committed to offering the service through the end of the winter slot season in late March 2022.
Arriving flights will clear U.S. Customs in New York before proceeding to BWI Marshall.
