He arrived under the crossed jets of water fired from the firefighters’ vehicles at Nice Côte d’Azur airport. All white with bright blue wings, tail and jet engines. Emotional sequence… This Saturday, at 10.10 a.m., landing of the Boeing 767-300, branded United Airlines, from New York.
More than 9 hours of flight with 169 passengers on board, to inaugurate a first direct link between the American megalopolis and the capital of the French Riviera.
A historic flight, because since its creation in 1927, this airline, one of the oldest and most important in the United States, had not landed a wheel on a runway in Nice. She provided connections with France, via Paris, but here, we had never seen her before.
This seasonal and daily flight also adds to the fleet transporting passengers, directly and non-stop, between Nissa la Bella and the Big Apple. And in appreciable conditions of comfort.
For explanations, boarding in the company of Grégoire Dutoit, commercial director for France of United Airlines.
What is the interest of this direct link Nice-New York for United Airlines?
It is a historic day. Nice-New York is the first destination outside Paris, a city with which we have been operating for 37 years. We had planned to come to Nice in 2020. The health crisis has delayed this project, which makes sense, because the region and Monaco represent great potential.
How frequent is the flight?
Daily. Departure takes place from Nice, each day at 12:10 p.m. with arrival, at 3:45 p.m. local time, at New York’s Newark airport. Arrival at Nice airport each day is at 10 a.m. following departing from the USA at 7:55 p.m. local time.
An airlift over the Atlantic in what type of aircraft?
It is a Boeing 767-300 with a particular configuration. That is to say, it is made up of 4 cabins with a lot of places in premium. This plane includes, in fact, 46 Polaris Business seats which are individual suites, 22 Premium Plus seats, 47 Economy Plus seats and 54 Standard Economy seats.
More comfort then?
Yes. We bring complementarity through the quality of the product, adapted to the region, and through the nature of our network: arriving in New York, the flight is immediately connected to more than 85 destinations on the American continent, including the most popular such as Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando, LA…
What are the flight prices?
It is difficult to give a fixed average price due to constant fluctuations. I prefer to speak of a call price of 460 euros including tax, departing from Nice
Until what date will this daily line operate?
For the moment, this is a seasonal flight scheduled until September 6, but our analysts are studying the potential to sustain this direct connection throughout the winter.
“High demand from the United States”, according to the person in charge of the airport
Nice-New York. Two companies already provided this non-stop connection.
First, Delta Airlines, whose rotations increase throughout the season with currently 5 weekly flights and a daily flight from June.
Then, La Compagnie, a French company, offering 3 flights a week on “full class business” aircraft, in other words, small planes, with 60 to 80 seats, without economy class.
Connexion plus large
And so, now, one more company. Because the passenger potential is there. Franck Goldnadel, Chairman of the Board of Airports on the Côte d’Azur, justifies this third arrival in the winged Riviera park: “One more company and connection for Americans and people from the Côte d’Azur. It is often said that on the Côte d’Azur, we welcome tourists, but here, we also have a lot of companies that export to the United States. For those from the Côte d’Azur who go to America, they are tourists, businessmen or people affected by family reunifications.This additional connection is in line with strong demand from the United States, as it offers additional opportunities. , US companies have a network of connections that are different from each other. There, we offer a wider connection.”
Beyond the summer
If there is demand, it may require going beyond the seasonal and limited nature of a direct flight between Nice and New York. “It’s true and sustaining this type of connection during the winter is a challenge for our airport and given the very high demand from users, we have already started working on it.”
