American Airlines Returns to Grenada after 10-year Break

Grenadian Tourism Minister Claris Modeste-Curwen said recently that the “government and American Airlines has signed an agreement resulting in the airline returning to the island from November after a 10-year absence.” This development comes after months of negotiations between the two parties.

“The flights are being advertised from the airline, it’s on the reservation booking system and we anticipate that this will bring in more visitors, not because it’s a bigger aircraft but Miami is the hub for some major airlines and this will give all persons who want to travel to Grenada a better choice,” the tourism minister said.

According to the minister, the Grenadian government had to provide a financial $1.5 million guarantee to the airline, as part of the deal. “This condition is part of the market and risk sharing commitment, it is practically impossible for any country to have an agreement these days with an airlines without putting up some money, so we agreed and we are now negotiating with all the stakeholders to arrive at the amount.”

A statement from American Airlines stated that it will begin flying between Miami and Grenada from Nov. 20, 2008 using a Boeing 737-800 aircraft configured with 16 seats in first class and 132 seats in economy class. Scheduled to overnight, the flight will depart from Miami at 5:00 pm and arrive in Grenada at 9:30 pm, then depart at 9:30 am the following day and arrive in Miami at 12:15 pm the same day.

The airline’s upcoming service from Miami is the only non-stop service currently scheduled between South Florida and Grenada, which is located approximately 100 miles off the coast of Venezuela. The new service complements existing flights to Grenada from San Juan, Puerto Rico, offered by American Eagle, the regional affiliate of American Airlines.