Going over the top to Asia says new U.S. LCC

by MIQUEL ROS  

February 1st 2022

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There will soon be a new way to cross the Pacific and it comes with a unique style. On January 18, Northern Pacific Airways (NPA), a new American airline, unveiled its first aircraft at San Bernardino Airport in California. Read More »

At the ceremony CEO Rob McKinney offered his audience a few insights into this new carrier’s strategy, reports Miquel Ros from California.

Rather than going the ultra long-haul route, NPA has looked to Iceland for inspiration.

For decades, Icelandair has been successfully exploiting its home country’s mid-ocean location to offer passengers a cost-competitive airfare to cross the Atlantic. NPA wants to do the same for the Pacific.

The new carrier will link the U.S. to Asia by way of Anchorage in Alaska. NPA is backed by the new owners of Ravn, an Alaskan regional airline re-launched in late 2020.

The Icelandair parallels don’t end here: NPA has opted for the 757, Icelandair’s workhorse for many years. Granted, the B757 is not exactly state-of-the-art technology, but McKinney pointed out the type was the best available choice to launch NPA as soon as possible. “We are looking at other aircraft types for the longer term”, he said. Initial plans call for a fleet of 12 aircraft, of which nine have been secured, “but we see ourselves getting to 50 aircraft in a few years’ time”.

“We are going to offer a combination of low fares, which we expect will grow the market, and a great inflight experience, including a cutting edge IFE system”, explained McKinney before he confirmed the carrier had finally opted for a three-class cabin (Economy, Economy+ & Business Class) configuration.

And just as Icelandair uses the appeal of its home country’s magnificent geography as a lure for tourists, NPA aims to make the Alaskan stopover a strength rather than a weakness of its business proposition. It is working with several local partners to offer a range of services and activities in the U.S.’s largest and northernmost state.

Being able to clear U.S. immigration and customs at Anchorage, rather than at more crowded U.S. ports of entry also is part of NPA’s pitch.

The 757’s range (4,000nm) means it can reach most of the contiguous 48 states on the U.S. side and also Canada. The Asia network focus, for the time being, will be Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Seoul. China’s Harbin is under consideration as a destination, although current travel restrictions mean it will have to wait. In addition to its Anchorage base, Los Angeles [LAX], San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York [JFK] and Orlando are going to be the carrier’s U.S. ports.