LATAM Airlines Group is adding a second nonstop route between Colombia to the US from July as the Chile-based company continues to grow its presence in the South America-North America market following the approval of its joint venture (JV) with Delta Air Lines.
Flights between Bogota (BOG) and Orlando (MCO) will launch on July 1, operating daily using Airbus A320 aircraft with capacity for 174 passengers. LATAM Colombia currently serves one point in the US, flying twice a day from Bogota to Miami (MIA) using a mix of A320s and Boeing 787-8s.
“Despite the challenging context with which this year began, we continue to improve our international network with the incorporation of a new route of utmost importance for travelers in the country,” LATAM Colombia CEO Santiago Álvarez said.
SkyTeam member Delta acquired a 20% stake in LATAM in 2019 and the airlines applied to regulatory authorities to operate a metal-neutral, antitrust-immunized JV for flights between the US and South America. The US Transportation Department granted tentative approval in June and signed off the deal three months later.
The airlines said the launch of the Bogota-Orlando service would offer onward connections at each end of the route, with Delta serving 18 destinations from Orlando and LATAM Colombia flying to 17 from Bogota.
“With this agreement, we will boost our presence in the North American market with the aim of becoming the best option for passengers from that region who wish to travel to Colombia and the other South American countries that are part of the agreement,” Álvarez said.
Flights from Colombia’s capital will depart at 10.15 a.m., arriving in Orlando at 3.33 p.m. The return service departs at 4.57 p.m. and arrives back in Bogota at 8.10 p.m.
Data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows that LATAM Colombia will compete in the Bogota-Orlando market with Avianca and Spirit Airlines, which each serve the 2,741-km (1,480-nm) sector daily. Avianca offers some 2,520 weekly seats at the present time, while Spirit provides 2,548 seats.
LATAM Colombia’s entry will fill a gap left by JetBlue Airways, which offered daily BOG-MCO service until January 2020. Flights resumed in December 2020, but the route ended the following month and has remained absent from the New York-based carrier’s network ever since.
In the wider Bogota-Florida market, American Airlines serves Colombia’s capital from Miami 3X-daily and Avianca offers up to 4X-daily flights. Spirit also serves BOG-MIA daily.
In addition, three routes operate between Bogota and Fort Lauderdale (FLL), with JetBlue and Spirit flying daily, and Avianca scheduling three round trips per week.
The addition of Bogota-Orlando comes just weeks after LATAM Airlines Group announced the planned launch of nonstop service between Sao Paulo and Los Angeles during the summer 2023 season following the JV agreement with Delta.
Flights between São Paulo/Guarulhos (GRU) and Los Angeles (LAX) will operate three times per week from July 1. LATAM intends to deploy 777-300ER aircraft on the 9,910-km (5,351-nm) sector, with capacity for 410 passengers.
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