Kingston --- 1 Sept. 2006---Air Jamaica is to increase flights to St. Lucia and Barbados, effective January 11, 2007.

This has been announced by George deMercado, Senior Executive of Air Jamaica, who says the airline would boost its non-stop schedule from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York to Hewanorra International Airport in St. Lucia from three to four weekly flights.

Those flights would continue to Barbados, thus increasing the service to that country.

"The St. Lucia/Barbados service has performed very well since we resumed service to St. Lucia in February," said Mr. deMercado, who noted that load factors have been particularly strong throughout the summer season.

"We have a very special relationship with the Eastern Caribbean and are happy to see it grow strategically over the past six months," he said.

He said that Air Jamaica regretted that it could not operate the new schedule earlier, as a result of the soft Fall season and the unavailability of aircraft during the peak Christmas period.

However, Mr. deMercado announced that effective September 11 this year, Air Jamaica's hub flights between Jamaica and Barbados and St. Lucia would move from Kingston to the Montego Bay hub on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays, offering many connections to and from its US gateways.

Using state-of-the art Airbus A-320 aircraft, with 138 seats in economy and 12 in first class, Air Jamaica offers non-stop service from New York to
St. Lucia on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays.

Air Jamaica provides more non-stop flights to Jamaica than any other carrier, with more than 270 flights per week from Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York (JFK), Orlando, and Philadelphia in the United States; Toronto in Canada; and from London in the United Kingdom to Montego Bay and Kingston. Air Jamaica also offers non-stop service between New York (JFK) and Grenada; New York and St. Lucia; and direct service between New York and Barbados.

Source: JIS