Chile´s Aerolineas del Sur (AS) is opening nine new routes, including Buenos Aires, despite high oil prices and company internal rifts. General Manager of Aerolineas del Sur Miguel Angel Magi recently told investors that the company will begin to lease two other airplanes, giving the AS fleet a total of six jetliners. The new additions will enable the small airline to expand its routes to nine.

On the heels of U.S. Department of Transportation approval last week, Alaska Airlines said it will offer new nonstop service between Los Angeles International Airport and La Paz, Mexico, starting October 30. Initially, the airline will offer the nonstop service three times a week. Flights from Los Angeles to La Paz will depart at 11:20 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Return flights will depart La Paz at 3:35 p.m. Mountain time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

AeroRepublica Airlines has announced it will begin nonstop daily service from Bogota to Panama on August 3, 2006. “With this flight and two additional code-share flights with Copa Airlines, we will jointly offer the best schedules and most frequencies between both cities,” commented Roberto Junguito, President of AeroRepublica.

Air Jamaica has announced that its redesigned website airjamaica.com is now on the world wide web. The site has a great new look and is user-friendly, easy to navigate and filled with useful travel information for passengers. It also allows visitors to book flights at the lowest fares available, purchase tickets, check the status of their flights, view their itinerary, track baggage and see the extensive information provided.

JetBlue is adding Columbus, Ohio, to its route map. The airline said it will begin service to Columbus from its home base at New York (Kennedy) October 3 with up to four daily nonstop flights. The low-cost carrier will also commence offering one daily nonstop from Boston beginning October 18.

TAM, Brazil´s largest airline company, will start to operate new domestic flights as of July 17, in addition to new international flights that kicked off July 10. In the domestic market, the flights will connect the Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo to the cities of Maceio, Manaus, Porto Velho, Brasilia and Goiania.