Double blow for airport
● Winter service ends after 19 years ● Air France pulls Glasgow-paris link
Flights between Glasgow and New York by United Airlines will end in October due to a reduction in demand.
It will be the first time the year-round route has been reduced to summer only since it was launched 19 years ago. In a further blow, Air France revealed to The Scotsman it is axing its Glasgow to Paris route, also in October.
United Airlines is to halt flights between Glasgow and New York this winter, The Scotsman has learned.
It is the first time the yearround route has been reduced to summer only since it was launched 19 years ago.
The blow came as Air France confirmed to The Scotsman it was axing its Glasgow-paris route from October, a year after it was launched.
United’s daily service will now end in October, leaving no direct flights between the cities until they resume next May apart from three return trips by Jet2 in October and November.
United blamed the move on a reduction in demand.
However, it appears to have been an unplanned move since tickets were already on sale and some passengers had already booked flights.
A spokeswoman said: “United will suspend its Glasgownew York/newark service during the 2017-18 winter season, 29 October, 2017 to 4 May, 2018 inclusive, in response to a seasonal reduction in market demand.
“The service will resume effective 5 May, 2018. We will contact customers with bookings during the suspension to either offer them alternative travel or refunds.”
Delta launched May to September flights from Glasgow to New York JFK this year, but has no plans to extend them.
United said there would be no changes to its year-round flights between Edinburgh and New York/newark.
Air France-klm said its Paris route, which was launched in March last year, was also being ended because of lack of demand. It competes with easyjet to Charles de Gaulle, Paris’ main airport. A spokesman said the move was to “best meet demand and take into account the current economic context”.
The route will be “suspended” from 28 October.
However, Aberdeen-paris flights would increase from two to three a day.
Aviation consultant Saj Ahmad, of Strategicaero Research, said: “It seems United has struggled to generate enough demand and therefore the costs of keeping it in place are simply too high.
“Whether passengers prefer JFK [in New York] or instead want to travel via Heathrow, United doesn’t have competition, so it’s clear their strategy was flawed.”
Analyst John Strickland, of JLS Consulting, said: “Winter traffic is always a challenge on regional North Atlantic routes. There is less of it and people expect to pay less.
“The problem is compounded by the pound’s drop following the Brexit vote.
“Even if they sell tickets at the same price in pounds, their dollar earnings are reduced, which obviously hits flight profitability.”