Air Jamaica Expands Eastern Caribbean Route Options

Air Jamaica set its eastern Caribbean expansion plan into motion January 10 with the launch daily nonstop service from New York (Kennedy) to Barbados with onward service to St. Lucia four days a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays) and Grenada three days a week (Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays).

All of the flights terminate at the carrier’s hub in Montego Bay, Jamaica, giving Jamaica-bound travelers from the U.S. more flight options into the hub.

In fact, Air Jamaica officials are hopeful that the Barbados service will stimulate new traffic and growth into that market.

Although most of the passengers on the January 10 inaugural flight from New York debarked in Barbados, a number did terminate in Jamaica, representing traffic “that otherwise we would not have received,” said Paul Pennicook, senior vice president of sales and marketing.

Air Jamaica agreed to provide the service in light of the decision by Caribbean Airlines to discontinue operations on the route formerly served by BWIA.