15 AA flights every Saturday
Published:Friday | November 22, 2019 | 12:40 AMJanet Silvera/Senior Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
American Airlines’ commitment to bringing in 15 flights into Montego Bay every Saturday, starting early in the winter season, represents a historic moment in tourism, says portfolio minister Edmund Bartlett.
The minister, who was speaking with The Gleaner following a reception welcoming the reintroduction of American Airlines’ service from JFK into Montego Bay on Thursday, said the pledge from Jamaica’s biggest airline partner will also be the most flights by any single carrier into a local airport on any single day ever.
“American Airlines has made Jamaica the most connected airline in the English-speaking Caribbean since 2010,” Bartlett noted.
“Because of American Airlines, we are connected to 225 destinations throughout the United States … connecting passengers from places we would otherwise have problems with and bringing them to our beautiful island. It’s not a stretch to say we owe American Airlines a great debt of gratitude,” Bartlett added.
Bartlett, meanwhile, said that the Tri-State area – New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia – continues to perform at high levels, noting that from May to September, the Northeast region outpaced the overall US market and saw an increase of 13.3 per cent during the same period.
“We are even more delighted to welcome the enhanced capacity and increased connectivity that will result as we seek to achieve our goal of attracting five million visitors by 2021,” he added.
The tourism minister said that with the JFK Airport again in the mix, Jamaica’s upcoming “busy period” should see the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay bursting at the seams and putting the country firmly ahead of its island competitors.
“This reintroduced service marks the strengthening of the partnership between Jamaica and America’s legacy carrier,” the minister added.
American Airlines offers customers 6,800 daily flights to more than 365 destinations in 61 countries from its hubs, including New York, Charlotte, and Miami. Jamaica stands to benefit from the more than US$25 billion the airline has invested in its product and people since 2013.
Bartlett further emphasised that Jamaica is not about to sit on its laurels and allow complacency to set in.
“We are continuing to seek out new source markets for visitors to Jamaica. We cannot lose sight of the fact that this is a very competitive industry,” the minister added.
Heartened by the growth of the carrier into Jamaica, American’s senior regional manager – Western Caribbean, Wellesley Joseph, said this route would not only provide Jamaicans with direct access to the New York hub, but it would also help strengthen the island’s growing tourism industry.
Flights are scheduled to depart JFK daily at 7 a.m., arriving in Jamaica by 11:07 a.m. Return flights depart Sangster an hour later, arriving in New York by 4:09 p.m.