Air Jamaica Returns to MiamiNovember 20, 2011 Almost three years after cutting Miami, Florida from its roster, Air Jamaica has announced its return to that city.
Effective December 9, the airline will make its return call to the Miami International Airport, and it has no plans to go back with empty seats.
The airline is wooing passengers with introductory rates as low as US$79 one way, plus taxes, for travel between Kingston and the Florida city.
The tourism capital, Montego Bay, has not been added to the route.
Initially, the carrier will operate once weekly on Tuesdays, from December 9, 2011 until January 7, 2012.
By January 9, it will increase its frequency to four flights weekly – Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday – before adjusting its roster to a daily schedule, which will be implemented in February 2012.
All of the flights will depart the Norman Manley International Airport at 9:45am, arriving in Miami at 11:25; and leave Miami at 1:10pm, arriving in Kingston at 2:50pm.
First ATR lands at Piarco InternationalNovember 17, 2011 It was not the kind of weather for the arrival of a brand new, state-of-the-art aircraft. Overcast skies and threatening rains dominated the Piarco airspace, but the gloomy weather failed to dampen the spirits of those who had gathered in Hangar 10 to welcome Caribbean Airlines’ first ATR-72-600. It was also helped by the music of the airline-sponsored Invaders Steel Orchestra.
The atmosphere changed dramatically to one of bright cheer, when at exactly 12.01 pm, the most advanced technological regional turbo prop aircraft to grace Caribbean skies, whizzed low past the hangar, eliciting a combination of screams and shouts from the excited crowd, as it flew east on its first flypast, returning in the opposite direction three minutes later before finally landing on Trinidad and Tobago soil for the first time.
Following the traditional “water salute” from two units of the Fire Department just outside the hangar, the plane was towed into the hangar to facilitate guest tours, as the now hyped up crowd returned inside for the formal part of the welcome.
“I am deeply grateful to the staff who have worked very hard to make today possible,” said CAL chairman George Nicholas III . He said the airline would make use of the plane for our domestic customers and as the others arrive, would be deployed “up the islands”.
CAL soars for immediate goalsNovember 17, 2011 Chairman of Caribbean Airlines George Nicholas III has listed a number of significant developments, some of which have already taken place and others are expected to be delivered in the very short term.
He talked about establishing new routes and acquiring the aircraft necessary to fly those routes; he spoke proudly about the profits the “two brand” airline had made this year; he spoke glowingly about his staff in both the Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica operations and profusely thanked them.
Nicholas, attempting to allay the fears of the public about the airline’s negative impact on the country’s treasury, boasted of the airline’s ability to pay for its aircraft.
“I am very proud to announce that we have fully paid for this ATR and the others from our internal cash flow,” he said.
He said based on the figures he had been shown, should end the year with a profit of $200 million.
The Air Jamaica brand on the other hand, Nicholas revealed, had “made the first ever consecutive profit in Air Jamaica’s 50-year history, of several million US dollars.” He did not however disclose any specific figures.
The chairman also spoke about the airline’s expansion plans, which include increasing the current staff total of 2600 to close to 3000, inclusive of both brands and creating air links to Mumbai, India in 2012, as well as two countries on the African continent, South Africa and Nigeria and the new industrial power in South America – Brazil.
But the announcement that brought the loudest applause from the audience was Nicholas’ positive statement that CAL would be resuming services to London through Gatwick, come June next year.
While the chairman’s first wish was to return to London Heathrow, using the modern B-777 aircraft, this was not now possible and it is expected that the new service would be operated by the two B-767 aircraft, which should arrive in Trinidad by next March.
Air Jamaica Resumes Kingston - Orlando ServiceSeptember 16, 2011 AIR Jamaica yesterday resumed flights between Kingston and Orlando in the United States, the first of what will be twice-weekly non-stop flights to the central Florida city after a two-year hiatus.
Flight BW474 departed the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) at 12:15 pm, to arrive in Orlando at 3:15 pm, with the return flight (BW475) leaving Orlando at 5:17 pm and arriving in Kingston at 6:15. CAL 737s on Hold for ApprovalSeptember 22, 2011 A Caribbean Airlines request to acquire two additional B-737 aircraft has been put on hold by Government.
Sources at the Ministry of Finance indicate that the request had been received by the ministry for perusal and approval, but the application has since been referred to the Finance and General Purposes committee for study.
As Business Day understands it, the two aircraft were originally intended for the use of the Air Jamaica brand, but with the recent loss of a CAL aircraft in a crash landing at the Cheddi Jagan International airport in Guyana on July 30 (Aircraft registration 9Y-PBM), one of the two new ones would serve as a replacement, while the other would be used in the first instance to resume service between Kingston and Chicago in the United States.
This situation comes on the heels of plans to acquire two used 767-31ER aircraft from Chilean airline Lan Chile, the deal which caused chairman George Nicholas III to offer his resignation to new Transport Minister Senator Devant Maharaj a few weeks ago.
It was reported Nicholas had committed to acquire the two aircraft. On the open market today those planes are listed as costing US$19.62 million each and the current lease rate has been put at US$320,000 each per month. Sources at Piarco say the aircraft are expected by next year April.
Deal to Merge AirJ & CAL Finally SignedMay 27th, 2011 Finance Minister Audley Shaw and his Trinidad counterpart, Winston Dookeran, have signed the agreement which finally consummates the merger of Air Jamaica and Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL).The deal was signed Thursday afternoon in Port of Spain, Trinidad.The merger comes a year after the Government of Jamaica moved to divest the entity to the Trinidadian based carrier. It had faced several delays from its April 30 deadline. Under the agreement, Jamaica will get 16% of Caribbean Airlines.Dennis Lalor, who is the outgoing Chairman of Air Jamaica, will be a director on the Caribbean Airlines board.
JALPA WINS BARGAINING RIGHTS FOR ITS PILOTSSeptember 27st, 2010
|