Pan Am 3 update
Pan Am plans to launch a Dominican Republic-based carrier that would enable it to link services from the US operated by its Portsmouth, NH-based carriers with operations into Latin America, where the original Pan Am flew. After meeting this week with the president of the Dominican Republic and other top Dominican officials, Pan Am -- sometimes referred to as Pan Am 3, since it is the third carrier using the name -- said it has "initiated the process of applying for establishment and certification by the Dominican Civil Aviation Authority with the intention of commencing service later this year." The carrier would use Dominican nationals for flight and cockpit crews, a plan also used by original Pan Am founder Juan Trippe. Since the Dominican Republic has been placed in Category 2 under FAA's International Aviation Safety Assessment Program, a carrier of Dominican nationality would face a U.S. prohibition on the start of new service. But Pan Am would be able to link its off-shore operation with its US-based airlines -- Pan American Airways and affiliate Boston-Maine Airways.. .. .Pan Am President David Fink met with last week with Dominican President Hipolito Mejia and Tourism Minister Rafael Subervi Bonilla, discussing proposals that include training and repair facilities. Pan Am would begin operations within the next 45 days with 10 aircraft initially, Bonilla said. The carrier's mission is to provide "high-quality air service throughout Central and South America, within the Caribbean and to the US and Canada," Fink said. Additionally, the new airline division would operate turboprop service within the Dominican Republic and elsewhere in the region which has been hit hard by both the reduced demand for tourism following September 11 and the bankruptcy of Dominicana, the defunct national carrier. Pan Am would use its growing fleet of Boeing 727-200s and Jetstream 31s - all outcasts from other carriers. Pan Am recently contracted with United to purchase 24 727s, which are being delivered at a rate of one per week. The carrier is also adding 16 Jetstreams to its fleet. The new operation would begin with charter service, with plans to link service from San Juan, Bermuda and Freeport in the Bahamas with Dominican points Santo Domingo, Santiago and Puerto Plata. Intra-Dominican service points would likely include La Romana and Barahona as well. Pan Am last week applied at DOT for rights to serve points in the Dominican Republic from Portsmouth, Newark, Miami and San Juan, planning 44 weekly frequencies using seven 727s.