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LATAM Airlines is expanding its presence in the Caribbean this winter by doubling its flights from Miami to Punta Cana. The Miami to Punta Cana route is monopolized by American Airlines, and competition from LATAM and Frontier Airlines is limited. The route will be operated by LATAM Chile with a Boeing 787.
LATAM Airlines plans to increase service from Miami to Punta Cana to twice a week this winter. The airline’s Peruvian arm operates fifth freedom routes with Boeing 787 aircraft.
Expanding winter operations
It’s not uncommon for airlines to operate flights between two countries where neither is a base for the airline. For example, Emirates operates a route from Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires after its aircraft arrives from Dubai. LATAM Airlines Chile operates this route once a week from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Punta Cana Airport (PJU).
LATAM Airlines plans to double its service between Miami and Punta Cana this winter, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. The flights will be an extension of service from Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport (SCL) in Santiago, Chile. LATAM currently operates two daily flights between MIA and SCL using Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft, and one weekly flight between Miami and Punta Cana.
Photo: Vytautas Kieraitis | Shutterstock
Starting in late November, LATAM will double its flights to Punta Cana, even as it also operates direct flights from Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM) and SCL. In December, LATAM will operate 139 round-trip flights to Punta Cana from Santiago, Miami and Lima, with the Lima flights operated by Airbus A319 and A320. With all flights combined, LATAM has more than 25,000 seats available to Punta Cana.
Who else is flying this route?
There are only three competing airlines between Miami and Punta Cana, but looking at the numbers, there is actually no competition. Besides LATAM, Frontier and American Airlines also operate between the two cities, with American having the largest market share. Of the 224 flights in November, 180 are operated by American, totaling more than 30,000 seats. Frontier, an American ultra-low-cost carrier, operates four flights a week with Airbus A321s.
Photo: Carlos Yudica | Shutterstock
Recent LATAM News
Earlier this week, LATAM and its joint venture partner Delta Air Lines announced that they have become the official airline partners of the Copa America 2024 soccer tournament. This year’s tournament will take place in the United States from June 20 to July 14 in cities across the country. To promote the event, LATAM is running special promotions in some of the tournament’s host cities, including a lottery for match tickets.
Related
LATAM will also be offering a ticket lottery for some of its most loyal customers.
Last week, Simple Flying reported that LATAM would be increasing frequency from Santiago to two US destinations through a joint venture agreement with Delta Air Lines. Starting in late October, LATAM will increase the number of flights from Santiago to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) from six times a week to daily, followed by Miami flights from 12 to 13 times a week in November, with two flights a day expected by December.
“We are very pleased to announce that we will be increasing our flights to key US cities during the summer season. Adding one weekly flight reinforces the objective of our agreement with Delta, improving connections between countries in the Americas and allowing thousands of passengers to reach some of the most important US holiday destinations.” – Kamal Haddad, Network Director, LATAM Airlines Group
