 | |
| Jamaica's Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett said he was pleased at JetBlue's decision to expand its service to Montego Bay and begin the Kingston route.(Photo: gothamist.com) | |
NEW YORK, United States, August 27, 2009 - Two American low-cost carriers are battling for a share of the Caribbean market, and Jamaica in particular.
JetBlue Airways, which already has a foot hold in the region with up to 71 daily flights to Caribbean destinations, and AirTran Airways both made requests on Tuesday to begin new services in Jamaica.
JetBlue said it had applied for authority from the island's government to begin offering two new routes linking Montego Bay to its expanding focus cities in Boston and Orlando, Florida, starting from the coming winter season.
"Jamaica and JetBlue is truly a match made in heaven - or paradise, as it were," said Scott Laurence, JetBlue's vice president of route planning. "We're thrilled to add to our island service with new flights from Boston and Orlando, where our ongoing international expansion has been a true success story."
Jamaica's Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett said he was pleased at JetBlue's decision to expand its service to Montego Bay and begin the Kingston route.
"This is a significant addition to our airlift capacity, and will certainly add muscle to our marketing efforts in North America. This opportunity gives us access to JetBlue's impressive network of loyal clients," he said.
But AirTran is hoping that it too can get a piece of the Jamaica tourism pie and a slice of what others in the wider region are sharing up as well. It has filed applications with the United States Department of Transportation to fly to Montego Bay, Jamaica; Nassau, Bahamas; and Aruba.
If AirTran's request is approved, its service to the three destinations would begin later this year and early in 2010 from a combination of key cities.
"Adding our low-cost, high-quality service from some of our largest operations to some of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean is a win-win for consumers and for AirTran Airways," said Kevin Healy, senior vice president, marketing and planning.
In the application, the airline proposes service to Nassau and Montego Bay from Atlanta, Baltimore and Orlando; while service to Aruba would originate in Atlanta and Orlando. More information on flights, equipment and fares will be made available upon receipt of DOT approval.
In the Caribbean, AirTran currently serves only San Juan, Puerto Rico and Cancun, Mexico.
|
