US Airways has filed a supplement to its March 4 application with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), which asked for the rights to operate daily, year-round service between Sao Paulo, Brazil and the airline's hubs in Charlotte, N.C. and Philadelphia.
"US Airways' application injects important new competition into a highly regulated market," said Andrew Nocella, the airline's senior vice president, marketing and planning.
He said that with the new service from Charlotte, more than 85 cities in the United States will have easy one-stop access to South America's most important business market. Charlotte serves 36 million travelers annually and is the nation's third largest airline hub.
Nocella also said the proposed new service from Philadelphia would provide 65 communities in the country with one-stop access."
The airline will begin service between Charlotte, its largest hub, and Sao Paulo on June 8 using frequencies leased from another carrier.
But an award of rights for Charlotte - Sao Paulo flights would help ensure US Airways avoids a service interruption due to that frequency lease's termination prior to the Open Skies agreement that goes into effect in 2015 between the United States and Brazil.
To see a copy of US Airways' filing with the DOT, visit www.regulations.gov.
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