AIR JAMAICA will soon acquire two new A-340 long-haul aircraft to penetrate the European travel market. Expected in the coming weeks, the aircraft will allow Air Jamaica to more than double its UK-Jamaica flight frequency from five flights a week, the company stated in a news release yesterday.
The new schedule will feature a daily flight between London (Heathrow) and Montego Bay, with continuing service into Kingston five days a week. There will be a non-stop service between London and Kingston twice weekly and a new service between Manchester, England and Montego Bay/Kingston twice a week.
The airline will also institute a new London-Havana/ Havana-Kingston weekly flight. "Air Jamaica is committed to the European market," said the airline's senior vice-president of marketing and sales, Allen Chastanet. He said the carrier is filling the void left with the withdrawal of service by British Airways between London and Montego Bay, and "we are also offering great rates to sell the Caribbean as a twin centre destination."
Chastanet revealed a new deal with its codeshare partner Virgin Atlantic which allows for affordable triangular fares.
Under the arrangement, a passenger can fly from London to New York, New York to Barbados, and from Barbados back to London. The passenger can also fly from London to New York, New York to Jamaica, Jamaica to St. Lucia, and from St. Lucia to London, in addition to a number of other possibilities.
"I think this is a market segment that the Caribbean has not been able to tap because of the lack of air access and affordable rates," he said. "We are very pleased that this is now being addressed."
Air Jamaica is introducing connecting services with European carriers such as Scandanavian Airlines (SAS), Alitalia and Austrian Airlines, making the region more accessible from other European locations, Chastanet said.
Air Jamaica's London-Jamaica flight is one of the airline's most successful services, and in the aftermath of September 11, the flights have not been affected.
