US-based Air Tran begins nonstop services to MoBay

JIS

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

AIR Tran Airways last Thursday began non-stop services from three locations in the United States to Montego Bay, St James.

The three inaugural flights from the Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the Orlando International Airport and the Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport, touched down at the Sangster International Airport with a total of 259 passengers.

This has opened up the way for some 18 Air Tran flights to take passengers to Sangster Airport weekly, with non-stop flights available daily from Atlanta and Baltimore/Washington, while travellers in Orlando will be able to choose from four flights per week. Customers, in more than 40 cities throughout Air Tran's network , will also have the option of connecting to Jamaica through these three cities.

In welcoming the inaugural flights, Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett said that the occasion marked a historic moment for Jamaica's tourism, both in terms of commercial flight frequency and visitor inflows.

"Air Tran is the first airline ever to bring more than one flight into Jamaica on the same day. This is a major display of confidence in this destination and we are grateful for that," he said.

He added that Air Tran will be an important addition to Jamaica's airlift, which is welcomed with open arms, especially in the midst of the winter tourist season.

"We expect a record number of visitors, due to the robust marketing and airlift strategies we have been pursuing... this Winter, for the first time, we will have over one million airlift seats into Jamaica," Bartlett noted.

He said that with over 800 million tourist arrivals in destinations worldwide, Jamaica intends to get its fair share of that market.

"Through Jamaica's 'Drive for Five' programme, we are aiming to achieve five million arrivals and earn US$5 billion by 2015," Bartlett said.

He pointed that, last year, Jamaica achieved the highest ever number of visitorsm -- more than 1.8 million.

"We know that if we are to achieve our goal of five million, airlift will be the answer. It is for this reason that we celebrate this debut of Air Tran to Jamaica," he remarked.

Bartlett said that he was satisfied that the Sangster International Airport had been upgraded to world class standards, and pledged to continue the enhancement of the shopping experience through the boosting of the quality and quantity the duty-free offerings.

"We have examined the earning potential of this sector very carefully, and have decided to put in place mechanism that will allow us to market this destination as a shopping Mecca," he explained.

He said that Jamaica is the number one destination in this region and one of the most recognisable destinations and brands in the world.

"We have to do more just to maintain our reputation, and go further still if we are to sprint away from our competitors in the manner of Usain Bolt. Our collaboration with Air Tran represents and reflects our commitment to change. It reflects our commitment to the new tourism that we are implementing," he argued.

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COMMENTS (4)

nervous investor
2/17/2010

Ritchie L .... I agree with you .... Air J should have been operating a low cost operation for decades ..... maybe even just a number of shuttle flights into Miami and New York daily and have feeder arrangements with other airlines.
What I don't understand is why CAL has to be made EXCLUSIVE NATIONAL airline. Can anyone explain this?

bayreuth lewis
2/16/2010

Richie L, I agree with you 100%. When Air Jamaica was handed back to the GOvernment they should have opted for the South-West Model and move away from the Legacy model.In the long run I donot see CAL commanding a large airlift volume to Jamaica.

d fitzgerald
2/16/2010

Mr Minister (Bartlett) if you are correct that Air Tran shows confidence in Jamaica by havin flights from ATL etc. all on one day, can you be kind enough to let the Jamaican tax payers and people of Jamaica know of the mark of confidence shown by the management of Air Jamaica and the government?

Richie L
2/16/2010

I like this, more airlift to Jamaica. That is why I can't see why the government designated Caribbean Airlines the national carrier of Jamaica. What does that mean anyway? Is that going to make Jamaicans consider CAL more? In this time of open air agreements, we don't need to be making any airline the "national airline".
I think these low-cost carriers like Jetblue, Spirit and Air Tran and the legacy ones such as AA and USairways are going to make it hard for CAL to make any headway in the Jamaican market.
Air Jamaica should have moved to a low-cost model years ago.
Richie

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US-based Air Tran begins nonstop services to MoBay