American Airlines to resume Haitian flights Friday

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American Airlines to resume Haitian flights Friday

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

DALLAS | American Airlines says it will resume regular flights to Haiti on Friday, the first commercial flights since the island nation was hit by an earthquake Jan. 12.

American said Tuesday that its first flight into Port-au-Prince will leave Friday morning from Miami International Airport.

The airline will operate three daily nonstop flights from Florida to Haiti, two from Miami and one from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

The airline said it also will offer a single flight four days a week from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
American will use its Boeing 737 jets, which typically have 148 seats, and 767 aircraft, which have 168 or 225 seats.

American's sister regional carrier, American Eagle, will start once-a-day nonstop service March 12 to Haiti from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and two flights from Santo Domingo and Santiago in the neighboring Dominican Republic, using smaller jets.

American and Eagle have made 30 relief flights to Port-au-Prince since the earthquake, according to the company. American has more than 100 employees in Haiti and has operated in the country since 1971.

The airline, based in Fort Worth, Texas, said it began repairing its airport facilities soon after the earthquake.


Read more at:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/feb/17/american-airlines-to-resume-haitian-flights-friday/

 

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Re: American Airlines to resume Haitian flights Friday

Haiti welcomes first commercial flight since quake

Posted Sat Feb 20, 2010 7:23am AEDT
An American Airlines pilot waves the Haitian flag as his plane touches down. (AFP)

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The first commercial flight to arrive in Haiti since the January 12 earthquake touched down in Port-au-Prince to a warm welcome on Friday, but with many passengers carrying a heavy emotional load.

The American Airlines flight from Miami came to a stop at the terminal with 132 passengers onboard and with one of the pilots waving a Haitian flag from the cockpit window.

A band playing Creole music in the terminal greeted their arrival - as had been the case regularly before the quake - but the passengers were bussed to a separate building to pass through immigration because of damage to the airport.

The capital's airport has been an aid lifeline for the devastated country in the wake of the January 12 earthquake that killed more than 217,000 people and left over a million homeless.

Officials said resuming commercial traffic would inject crucial revenue into Haiti's crippled government.
American Airlines spokesman Martha Pantin says the commercial landing is important.

"It's good for the reconstruction of Haiti," she said.

"We were the last ones out; we are the first ones in."

But amid the celebration there were stark reminders of the innumerable tragedies that have befallen the Haitian people.

More at:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/20/2825390.htm?section=justin