Q & A with Mynor CordonChief of Sales and Marketing of Regional Airlines

by Jose Carlos de Santiago

As an independent air carrier within the TACA Group, Regional Airlines is doing its own in the effort to re-launch Central America as a solid travel destination teeming with possibilities and attractions.

This company hooks up all small cities and help adventure-craving travelers have access to newer and better experiences. Mr. Cordon sat down with Caribbean News Digital to talk about his company´s threads, coverage, in-the-pipeline projects and other issues in this exclusive interview.

CND: What´s Region in the first place? What´s its mission?

MC: We´re the regional carrier of TACA with operations in Central America, basically in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. We fly to over fifty destinations inside Central America, and we´re different to TACA´s jetliner service that focuses mostly on Central America´s big cities. We operate a fleet of high-tech ATR-42 300 aircraft and our mission is basically to provide support to incoming tourist flows in each and every country within the Central American region.

CND: We might say, then, that you´re in the multi-destination business, aren´t you?

MC: Exactly. You´ve explained very clearly the creation of multi-destination and promotional programs within the Central American region, relying on the kind of versatility these airlines have to offer.

CND: What´s the main difference between your company, as a team, and TACA as a regional or international airline?

MC: Well, maybe it´s not about differences, but rather about the fact that we work with a more focused approach, in the advance of multi-destination offers. We work hand in hand with each and every country within the region, with hoteliers, so that we can piece together an array of multi-destination choices. We also work with local tourism ministries, with tour operators, people who can help us shape connections between, say, Panama and Costa Rica, or between San Jose and Guatemala, or between Honduras and Nicaragua. We cover the Mayan World in Guatemala, Honduras´ scuba diving sites, Nicaragua´s beaches, the Costa Rican ecotourism and the cultural diversity that Panama has to offer.

CND: Do you operate charter flights?

MC: We provide charter flights and have convenient timetables that match international time zones. We kind of complement TACA´s jetliner operations in the Central American region.

CND: Does the TACA Pass also apply to Regional?

MC: There are routes of Regional Airlines inserted in the TACA Pass system and that service is currently on sale in Europe as a airlift program that supports regional multi-destination.

CND: The TACA Office in Spain, does it provides service to you, too?

MC: We´re working on the same strategy followed by the TACA Office in Europe, basically in Spain, so I must say we see eye to eye with the TACA Office and other regional airlines from Central America.

CND: Is there any particular matter about Regional that you´d like to underscore? I mean, in terms of competition with other small-scale carriers in the market, like Aeroperlas or Air Panama.

MC: I think the heart of the matter here is to put our company in the map, to let customers know about it. I´d tell them we keep the same maintenance standards, have the same certifications and count on the same staff of well-trained pilots and ground personnel that TACA has. As I mentioned earlier, we´re a TACA byproduct that sticks to the same quality standards in terms of both service and operations.

CND: Would you like to add something else about Regional?

MC: Just to mention, as I did at the top of this interview, the re-launch of Central America as a multi-destination platform for tourists, and that we´ll keep supporting CATA in Spain and the tremendous job that Central American tourism ministries are conducting. We´re rolling out a huge promotional campaign to lure travelers, not only from Spain, but from all across Europe.