SURPRISE. Neos ready to activate connections with U.S.
The news comes from across the ocean but is bound to make noise, and not a little, especially in Italy. As reported [...]
Neos Air
The news comes from across the ocean but is bound to make noise, and not a little, especially in Italy. As reported by One Mile at a Time the Alpitour Group company has applied to the U.S. DOT, the U.S. Department of Transportation, to operate direct connections between Italy and the United States.
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The links
There are no details in the request other than the company's willingness to activate connections to transport people, cargo and mail, i.e., all activities included in the U.S.-EU cooperation agreement governing the freedom to open air connections between the two continents.
Impossible to know at the moment what routes the company intends to operate but it is foreseeable that the Malpensa base could be the starting point to the US. In recent days we talked about the slow recovery of connections between Italy and the U.S..
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The airline that operates covid free flights from Malpensa to China may want to take advantage of the uncertainty surrounding the future of Alitalia and the lack of an Italian carrier connecting the north with the United States. Before the crisis Alitalia operated a daily flight on JFK and for a short time Air Italy also connected Miami and New York from the Milan airport.
In the statement submitted to the DOT, the company states its willingness to start selling tickets as soon as it receives the green light from the regulator.
It cannot be ruled out that the request is also related to the partnership between Neos and Costa Cruises in view of a restart of cruises and the need for the Italian shipowner to be able to transport its passengers.
The fleet
We had a chance to talk about the new fleet of Neos, with the recent entry into service of Boeing 787s. The planes are state-of-the-art and suitable for the "non-essential" travel market. These models are the same ones used by the company for charter connections to long-haul destinations such as the Caribbean, Africa and, indeed, China. There are currently four Dreamliners in Neos livery.
The 787s have 331 economy class seats (with the 3-3-3 configuration), of which 36 are Economy Extra Plus and 18 are Economy Extra.
Instead, there are 28 premium seats with a 2-3-2 configuration with seats equipped with adjustable headrests and footrests and a seat spacing of 107 centimeters.
