It’s been a well-known fact that the main obstacle keeping Dominica from being a competing force in Caribbean tourism was flights. But as of June, flying to Dominica will get a little easier due to a new connection from St. Maarten on Windward Island Airways, commonly known as Winair.

As part of our week-long coverage of the ninth annual SMART tradeshow in St. Maarten, Travel Agent sat down with JetBlue Airways’ manager for the Caribbean and Latin America and learned that the airline will continue its heavily aggressive expansion into the Caribbean and Latin America within the next few years.

GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A., the largest low-cost and low-fare airline in Latin America, will begin operating weekly service between Brazil and Barbados on June 26. The new route provides Brazilian travelers a faster journey to the Caribbean island. Previously, the fastest trip was via the U.S. Flights will take place every Saturday under the VARIG brand.

Spirit Airlines announced that it is further expanding its network of ultra low fares throughout the country of Colombia with the introduction of non-stop service between Fort Lauderdale and Barranquilla starting July 29. Barranquilla is located at the mouth of the Magdalena River on the Caribbean coast of Colombia and boasts a year-round tropical climate.

Airone Ventures, a startup airline based in Barbados, plans to launch low-fare service within the Caribbean and between the U.S. and Barbados in February 2011, according to an application filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Virgin Atlantic Airways has begun its first-ever global marketing campaign, “Your Airline’s Either Got it or it Hasn’t.” The new campaign, launching first in the U.S., stems from the roots Virgin Atlantic was built on -- a passion for flying and challenging the norm to give travelers a unique and unforgettable flight experience.