Caribbean airline LIAT received its first plane on Thursday since it announced plans to become a discount carrier following years of financial troubles, officials said. The Dash 8-3000 plane, leased from the California-based Aero Century Corp., is one of two 50-seaters that LIAT will lease from the company.
LIAT CEO Garry Cullen declined to discuss financial terms of the deal. The Antigua-based airline expects to have 14 planes in its fleet this year, up from 11 in 2005. The expansion was part of LIAT´s plan to become a discount carrier in the region, the company said in a statement.
JetBlue Airways will expand service to the Caribbean with two new daily nonstop flights between Orlando International Airport and San Juan and Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, effective May 3.
Introductory sale fares between Orlando and San Juan and Aguadilla begin at $84 each way. The sale fares must be purchased by February 11 and are valid for travel between May 3 and May 24, 2006. The carrier´s regular fares will range from $104 to $299 each way. Customers can save an additional $5 each way by purchasing online at www.jetblue.com.
Spanish low-cost carrier, Air Madrid, is distributing its fares through the Worldspan global distribution system (GDS).
Worldspan will also provide e-ticketing capability for the airline, saving both time and money for travel agents and travelers.
The launch of daily flights on 26 March consolidates bmi´s presence in the Gulf region and marks a major step in the expansion of the airline´s long haul network. Fares start at £399 return including taxes.
bmi launched its first flights to the Middle East last September when three times weekly services to the Saudi Arabia capital Riyadh were introduced. The success of the route led to the recent announcement of services to Jeddah, which start in April.
Air Canada will apply to Canadian and Australian authorities to commence a daily Toronto-Los Angeles-Sydney service.
The plan comes as a result of new market opportunities presented by the recently expanded Open Skies Agreement for Canada and the United States.
In a strategic move to better serve French- and Spanish-speaking customers, Caribbean Star Airlines and Caribbean Sun Airlines have outsourced their reservation functions to customer relationships management firm, PRC.
The phased initiative launches 23 January for Spanish-speaking customers, with the remainder of the Caribbean-based passenger segments transitioning throughout early February.