New Pacific Airlines
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Founded | May 2021 | ||||||
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Commenced operations | July 14, 2023 | ||||||
Operating bases | Ontario International Airport | ||||||
Frequent-flyer program | FlyCoin | ||||||
Fleet size | 4[citation needed] | ||||||
Parent company | FLOAT Alaska | ||||||
Headquarters | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | ||||||
Key people |
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Employees | 50 | ||||||
Website | www |
New Pacific Airlines, formerly known as Corvus Airlines and Northern Pacific Airways, is an American charter airline and former low-cost carrier[2] based in Anchorage, Alaska.
History
[edit]The airline also operates inside Alaska under the brand and is the same company as Ravn Alaska. Ravn Connect is a separate company but also a subsidiary of FLOAT Alaska.[3] The airline plans to operate transpacific flights between North America and Asia, with a stopover at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. The airline's business model has been compared to that of Icelandair,[4] allowing passengers to either quickly connect to their next flight, or to have a longer multi-day stopover at Anchorage to allow passengers to sightsee in Alaska.[5]
In October 2022, BNSF filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against the airline for using the Northern Pacific name, which was also the name of the Northern Pacific Railroad that stretched from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest and was subsequently merged with BNSF's predecessor, Burlington Northern Railroad.[6]
The airline received its full FAA authorization to launch flights on July 9, 2023, allowing the airline to launch commercial flights with passengers aboard. Operations commenced on July 14, 2023, with their inaugural flight from Ontario International Airport in Ontario, California, to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada.[7][8]
On August 28, 2023, the airline was issued a preliminary injunction regarding the trademark infringement case from BNSF, ordering the airline to cease use of the Northern Pacific name. While there was an opportunity to appeal the decision, it decided not to and instead opted to rebrand as New Pacific Airlines, after a call for employees to provide suggestions for a new name.[9] The new name was chosen in order to avoid changing existing branding assets, such as the "N" logo which had been affixed on every seat on board the airline's aircraft and the airline's website domain. While the airline began to use the new name, it had not yet received regulatory approval for the change, which meant that tickets sold still displayed the old Northern Pacific name.[6]
In April 2024, New Pacific Airlines announced it would end all remaining scheduled flights and focus on charter operations entirely.[2]
Destinations
[edit]New Pacific Airlines started operations flying between Las Vegas and Ontario due to the ongoing closure of Russian airspace and delays in certification from Korean and Japanese authorities. The airline originally also announced plans to fly to destinations such as Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, New York City and Orlando from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.[5][10]
The airline operates or has previously operated to the following destinations as of March 2024[update]:
Country (State) | City | Airport | Start date | End date | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States (California) | Ontario | Ontario International Airport | July 14, 2023 | Present | Base | [7] |
United States (Nevada) | Las Vegas | Harry Reid International Airport | July 14, 2023 | January 1, 2024 | Terminated | [7][11] |
United States (Nevada) | Reno | Reno–Tahoe International Airport | November 16, 2023 | March 23, 2024 | Terminated | [12] |
United States (Tennessee) | Nashville | Nashville International Airport | November 17, 2023 | March 29, 2024 | Terminated | [12][2] |
Fleet
[edit]Current fleet
[edit]As of October 2024[update], the New Pacific Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:[citation needed]
Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
F | Y | Total | ||||
Boeing 757-200 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 159 | 175 | |
Total | 4 | 2 |
Fleet development
[edit]New Pacific unveiled its first Boeing 757-200 on January 18, 2022.[13] As of September 2022, New Pacific owned four 757-200s and had plans to acquire more which were used by American Airlines, with plans to have twelve aircraft by the date of their transpacific launch.[3][14]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Current Airline Members". IATA. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ a b c onemileatatime.com - New Pacific Airlines Ends Scheduled Flights, Shifts To Charters 25 March 2024
- ^ a b DeMarban, Alex (September 29, 2021). "Anchorage-based air carrier startup that plans to connect U.S. to Asia begins building fleet". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
- ^ Pilar, Wolfsteller (October 25, 2021). "Start-up Northern Pacific aims to bring Icelandair model to transpacific travel". FlightGlobal. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
- ^ a b Pallini, Thomas (August 8, 2021). "A new airline wants to connect the US and Asia with low fares and Alaskan stopover programs: Meet Northern Pacific Airways". Business Insider. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
- ^ a b "BNSF Railway Company v. Float Alaska IP, LLC, 2:23-cv-03934, (C.D. Cal. Aug 28, 2023) ECF No. 85" (PDF). CourtListener.com. August 28, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
- ^ a b c Schlappig, Ben (July 10, 2023). "Northern Pacific Airways Is Finally Launching Flights!". One Mile at a Time. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ Varley, Len (July 10, 2023). "Northern Pacific Airways a step closer to start-up with FAA approval". AviationSource News. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ Name change for North Pacific Airliner World November 2023 page 14
- ^ Rains, Taylor. "Startup international airline Northern Pacific will fly to Mexico instead of Japan and Korea due to Russian airspace restrictions". Business Insider. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ Liu, Jim (December 28, 2023). "New Pacific Airlines Discontinues Ontario – Las Vegas in early-Jan 2024". AeroRoutes. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
- ^ a b "New Pacific Airlines Expands Ontario Network in 4Q23". Aeroroutes. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
- ^ Northern Pacific Airways to wet lease aircraft when it launches FlightGlobal May 19, 2022
- ^ Limone, Jerry (September 22, 2021). "Transpacific startup Northern Pacific Airways buys 757s". Travel Weekly. Retrieved November 1, 2021.