KINGSTON, Jamaica — A mere five months after inaugurating daily non-stop flight service between Fort Lauderdale and Montego Bay, major US airline Southwest, recently upped to two daily flights between both cities, increasing Jamaica’s connectivity to other US cities.

The additional Southwest flight departs Fort Lauderdale 9:10 every morning and the return flight departs Montego Bay every morning at 11:50, the airline stated in a release.

“Southwest is a major partner that has grown leaps and bounds. In the quest to drive arrivals and to build up economic growth and prosperity in our country, air lift forms the central infrastructure. There is no way the connectivity can be realized without carefully planned and properly executed air lift arrangements,” Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said.

Southwest operates regular nonstop service into Montego Bay from Orlando, Florida; Houston, Texas; Chicago, Illinois and Baltimore, Maryland.

Senior Advisor and Strategist at the Ministry of Tourism, Delano Seiveright, noted that there are now up to 7 flights per day by Southwest into Montego Bay.

“More new flights, more new rooms, closer collaboration with cruise operators, enhancing relationships with non-traditional players like AirBNB and, of course, deepening linkages across entertainment, gastronomy, health and wellness and other areas are among the lead initiatives being pursued to achieve tourism growth goals,” he stated.